


Ichigo Awakens: Soul Conviction

by Teloch



Series: Ichigo Awakens [2]
Category: Akame ga Kill! (Anime & Manga), Bleach
Genre: F/M, OP!Ichigo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-21
Updated: 2021-01-21
Packaged: 2021-03-13 09:22:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 24
Words: 103,574
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28901082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Teloch/pseuds/Teloch
Summary: To show him the horrors of war and the value of life, Ichibei sends Ichigo to a dimension with an empire in the midst of a civil war. Will his resolve hold, or will the darkness of the Empire break him? (During Bleach Timeskip)
Relationships: Kurosaki Ichigo/Akame, Kurosaki Ichigo/Esdeath
Series: Ichigo Awakens [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2119440
Kudos: 4





	1. Hybrid in a New World

It was the middle of the night, the clear sky glittered with thousands of stars with a moon that was bright and clear. A single massive castle similar to Russian aesthetics, surrounded by walls, towers both pointed and domed despite a crumbled tower on the right side, topped with jade and gold on the roofs, stood serenely protected in the center of an even larger city. This time with tall regal buildings of a more central European aesthetic, a section that was protected by even higher walls that only the castle stood higher than. Outside of those walls was a sprawling city with various canals for rivers and streets for land transports, homes and businesses, some still lit with the inhabitants awake, others dark for the peaceful rest of the night. A serene picture of the city was destroyed as three figures broke through a section of the castle, heading for the walls surrounding the city.

“Damn it!” A young orange haired teen cursed as he flew further away from the castle, a woman riding on ice and a man cloaked in electricity chasing after him. The teen wore a slim black robe, lined with light blue on the edges and a series of black Xs going down the front to keep it together. On his arms were several bands ending in claw like gloves. Inside those robes was a high collared white shirt with more blue edges, and black pants. On his hip were two katana and a pentacle bracelet with a skull in the center on his wrist. He landed on the wall and was about to jump off the other side when a lightning bolt struck in front of him, revealing a man.

“End of the road,” he growled, “you will not threaten the peace here.” He was a tall, middle aged man with spiky blonde hair and blue eyes in dark gray armor. On his arms were a pair of golden gauntlets that had piston poles on the forearms that cackled with electricity. Behind the teen was a beautiful woman with long icy blue hair, light gray military apparel, a tattoo on her chest, black crosses on her cap and belt, and a huge rapier blade.

“Is this really a god of death?” She asked, leveling her blade at him. “I'm disappointed, Ichigo Kurosaki.” The teen traded looks between the two; never looking concerned, only annoyed. His mind raced back to how he got into this situation.

(Exposition and flashback)

It all went back to that rainy day in July, he was just a kid walking home with his mother. He thought he saw a girl by a raging river and ran to help her, only for it to be a monster known as a Hollow. When that thing attacked, a pillar of light struck his mother and she lost consciousness. Ichigo's powers awakened that day and saved his mother's life, though now she was in a coma. From there, he learned his heritage as a Soul Reaper, a Quincy, a Hollow, and about the villains that threatened existence as he knew it, Aizen and Yhwach.

Desiring to live up to his name as a protector, he trained. Trained in everything he could and become as strong as he possibly could to stop his enemies. Eventually, he made his way to the Soul Society, where the Soul Reapers concentrated their power, and warned their leader, Genryusai Yamamoto of Aizen and Yhwach. Aizen was a captain turned traitor that sought to rule all the afterlife and sacrifice any in order to do so. After a long time of consolidating their forces, Aizen waged a war with Soul Society, ending in Ichigo's victory over the traitor and absorbing his powers. Now only Yhwach remained.

Ichigo continued to train and master everything his masters had to teach him, but he lacked only one thing. Experience. Which brings him to a conversation with the leader of the only group outside of Yamamoto's command, the Zero Squad's Ichibe Hyosube.

“Ichigo, I have a proposition for you lad.” The old monk said to Ichigo over the phone. “Answer this, what is a Soul Reaper?” Not thinking too much about it, Ichigo gave the answer that was drilled into his head for years.

“A balancer that safeguards the equilibrium of souls in existence.”

“And can you keep to that duty?” He suddenly asked, throwing Ichigo off slightly. “Can you focus on that duty and not interfere? Can you be a Soul Reaper? Here's a test for you, remember the Valley of Screams?”

“The dimensional pockets in the void between dimensions as a result of billions of souls and their energy concentrating there?” Ichigo guessed, it had been a long time since he needed to have any concern for those spaces.

“Sometimes they form their own worlds, even become populated as an alternate 'Living World' to the one you live in.” He explained, surprising the hybrid with the knowledge that alternate realities could exist. “We found one such world that is in the midst of a war. Your mission is to go there and be a Soul Reaper. Don't use your powers for one side or the other, do not directly interfere with their affairs, and reap the souls of the dead. Some might have potential to join the Gotei, others will simply wish to pass on, but you are to not interfere.”

“Am I going to have a gigai?” Ichigo asked, already thinking about the endless possibilities of the world he would see. Ichibe laughed kindheartedly.

“No, a gigai won't be necessary. Something else.” He answered. “A new set of clothes are being made to restrain your Reiatsu so these people won't disintegrate from being too close to you, and something special. A ring that will give you a physical form when worn, but will return you to spirit when off. Granted it will weaken you by some degree, but think of that as extra training!” He said jovially.

“This sounds like it'll be more trouble than it's worth.” The hybrid said dryly.

“Maybe Ichigo, but you lack life experience as a man, soldier, and Soul Reaper. What do you say?” Ichgo thought about for a good while. Soul Society could handle things without him and there is nothing wrong with more experience. Besides, he's fought against would be world destroyers, murderous psychopaths, and went to Hell. What could this new world POSSIBLY throw at him?

“Bring it on.”

(Entering the new world)

Armed and carrying the gifts of his teachers and wearing powerful seals on his being, the hybrid went through a specially made Dangai leading him to the new world. The run took him hours, many uneventful hours, before reaching the end and coming to his destination. True to form, he was in the inconvenient and dangerous place to come out of. Thousands of feet up in the sky.

'Of course this is where I end up.' Ichigo thought bitterly as he began to fall, the wind ripping at his form. 'Well, it's not like I'm not used to-' He continued until he noticed his ring began to shine. Almost immediately, he felt his entire body tighten and his heart seize before feeling his strength leaving his body.

“Granted, it will weaken you by some degree.” The words of the old monk replayed in his head.

'Are you kidding me!? I feel like my body is made of lead, with multiple tons of weight on my hands and feet, with what seems like twenty times natural gravity! How weak am I!?' He thought worriedly, trying to muster up his Hirenkyaku to slow his descent. The moment he connected to the Reishi of the world, he felt like throwing up. 'It's like the soul of this whole world is toxic. Just what the hell is happening here!?' He thought as his vision began to blur as vertigo set in. Fighting to keep from blacking out, he saw himself falling straight towards a majestic castle and what seemed to be hundreds of Hollows appearing before fleeing just as quickly. The last thing the young Soul Reaper saw was the tower he slammed into.

“Owww~.” Ichigo groaned, smashing through floor after floor of the tower, until he ended at what seemed to be the lowest level. “This could have had a better start.” He said, pushing himself up out of the crater he was in with debris falling off his body and all around him. He shook his head in an effort to get the world to stop spinning and get his bearing. He saw many spears, swords, axes, even rifles and cannons. “Did I land in a Renaissance era or something?” He asked before catching a new scent. “Is that... gunpowder?” He looked over to a barrel that was cracked open, with an oil lantern hanging above it. Then the lantern dropped. “Shit.” He said, just before the lantern shattered and the room exploded.

(Inside the Throne Room)

Chaos reigned in the throne room, a young child on the seat of power looking scared and confused, a large rotund man with a thick white beard demanding answers, and a spiky blonde man issuing orders. The chaos began when they suddenly saw weird creatures appear throughout the castle, phasing through the wall like they were nonexistent, and their unearthly howls sending chills down everyone's spines. They were there and then gone, but the people inside demanded answers.

“General Budo, do they still have nothing?” The child asked, barely keeping his tears at bay. The blonde man bowed to the boy and spoke, with regret coloring his voice.

“Still nothing my liege. For what value it holds, it doesn't seem like the revolutionary army is attacking. That's all that we have.” The general said, giving the child some relief, until the fat man next to him spoke up.

“All that you have at your disposal and this is all you have to tell?” He said rather condescendingly. “Palace security is supposed to be your responsibility.”

“Not that it would've done any good.” A blue haired beauty said, marching into the room with three men dressed in black following her. “They couldn't be harmed or touched. Nothing we did was effective.” She reported, shocking everyone in the room.

“Truly general Esdeath? Surly you jest?” The fat man said, begging for it to be a joke. But the woman shook her head.

“It's as if they were spirits Honest.” She answered, sounding bored despite the situation. Just then, the palace shook as if something hit it.

“What now!?” Honest yelled out as the child emperor tried curling into himself, hiding from the terrors attacking his home.

“Esdeath! Take a contingent and find out what that was! I'll stay here and protect his majesty!” Budo ordered, with Esdeath nodding.

“You lot, come with me!” She ordered a group of soldiers, bearing a smirk that promised pain for whatever prey she could find. They ran out to the armory and munitions building, one of several in the castle, reaching it just in time for another explosion to bring it crumbling down. 'Well, there goes my fun.' She thought in disappointment, not sensing any attack or opponents to fight. “Start investigating. Find out what happened!” She ordered, the men scrambling to obey. Seconds later, she heard the movement of stones and wood that wasn't from the soldiers digging away at the tower but from deeper underground.

“Sho.” She heard someone speak before the massive pile of debris was blasted off, revealing a young orange haired man. “Definitely one of my rougher landings.” He groaned out, getting to his feet and pulling out bars that were stabbed into his body. He treated the tower collapse like he was getting out of bed, stretching and shaking as if to wake up. The teen looked up to general. “Yo, my name's Ichigo Kurosaki. Where am I and who are you?”

(Back to the Throne Room)

“Welcome Ichigo Kurosaki!” The prime minister said jovially. After introducing himself, Esdeath brought him to the throne room and reported exactly what she found. A teenage boy fell from the sky into the munitions tower and survived the explosion before freeing himself from the pile of debris. Everyone in the room was shocked, but Honest decided to capitalize on the chance. “Welcome to the seat of power of our mighty empire that has held strong for over a thousand years. I am Prime Minister Honest, chief adviser to our great emperor.” He gestured to the small child, who seemed very excited by Ichigo's presence but still held himself as regal as possible. “This is our lord Emperor Makoto, the great general Budo at the foot of the stairs,” Budo nodded in acknowledgment while glaring at Ichigo as if to dare him to try anything, “and you've already met general Esdeath.”

“A pleasure.” Ichigo said, giving a cheerful smile to each and every person in there, not in the least bit concerned about his safety. “I'm Ichigo Kurosaki, Shinigami.” He said, earning small gasps from the group.

“Shinigami... as in 'Death God'?” Esdeath asked, more and more interested in the boy.

“I prefer Soul Reaper.” Ichigo answered. “I guide the souls of the dead to their afterlife.”

“Are those what those monsters were earlier?” The emperor asked, surprised that any human could become such monstrous creatures. “Souls?”

“Well... yes.” Ichigo said, scratching his head in embarrassment. “There are two kinds of souls, Pluses and Hollows. Pluses are the ghosts of the departed, still wholly conscious of who and what they are. Hollows are what happen when they give in to hate and despair, becoming starving beasts that live only to devour other souls.”

“So they're dangerous creatures?” Esdeath guessed, very intrigued by the idea. “Hence your blades?”

“They can be, but I've yet to encounter a foe I couldn't beat.” Ichigo returned, still baring that confident smile. Unbeknownst to the hybrid, the general's face was burning and she felt her heartbeat go faster.

“Why did you fall out of the sky?” Budo asked, making Ichigo's mood sour in response.

“Urahara.” The Soul Reaper growled with enough venom that even Esdeath felt the need to back away, then the teen shook his head. “Sorry. The reason why is because of an asshole I know.”

“Mr. Ichigo, if I may ask, could you lend us your power?” The child emperor asked, earning surprised looks from the adults that shifted into anticipation. “Right now, my country is plagued by a civil war that threatens to tear it apart. I've tried to lead as best as I could, but they seem to want nothing more than the destruction of the nation. If you could help, then maybe this country might know peace much sooner.” He begged, and Ichigo felt how genuine he was. This kid wanted to be a good leader for his people, but how did it get so bad? His eyes shifted to Honest, and just looking at the man told him how vile and black his soul was. He didn't need the judgment of a Zanpakuto to tell him this man was going to Hell.

“I'd love to help,” He said, causing the kid to brighten with a smile, “but I can't.” The look of heartbreak nearly crushed him. “This is a matter of the world of the Living. My concern is with the Dead. I'm merely here in a corporeal state because I need to live here. But I can't be directly involved in the affairs of the Living.” He turned to leave, missing Honest telling some of the guards to intercept him. “But if I can offer any advice, stop trusting that prime minister of yours and see the state of your empire for yourself.” He said before walking through the gates.

(With Ichigo)

'Well, that was something.' Ichigo thought as he wandered through the halls, quickly noting that he was being followed and surrounded. 'And now this.' He sighed before stopping. “Let me tell you here and now, this is a bad idea. You might wanna turn back.” He waited for all of one second before the group tried to attack him. The result was instantaneous as to the outside observer, Ichigo didn't move an inch but the entire group of twenty would be assassins ended up embedded in the walls and floor around the hybrid. 'Almost there, still feels heavy though.' He thought to himself, before smelling ozone and feeling his hair stand up. He turned to the side, just in time to dodge an electrical punch from Budo.

“God or not, I will allow no violence in the palace!” He roared as he threw lightning fast punches at the hybrid, none of which connected. They were fast and strong but they were also sloppy and undisciplined, suggesting that the man had almost no or any recent battle experience. Ichigo, having sparred with a woman that was nicknamed 'Flash Goddess' for her speed his whole life had little trouble dodging the man.

'Still moving too slow.' He thought again, slowly getting used to the restraints on his body. During this time Ichigo took the chance to analyze the gauntlets on the man's arms, sensing that they were the source of the electricity he was using. “Those aren't ordinary gauntlets. What are they?” Ichigo asked, chancing that the man was naïve enough about combat to tell him.

“This is my Teigu, Adramelech.” He answered, Ichigo not even believing his luck. “It allows me to control lightning as I see fit. So I repeat; god or not, I will allow no violence in the palace!” Ichigo disappeared from his sight and Budo felt a hand on his neck.

“There's a difference between allowing something and actually being able to do something about it.” Ichigo scolded, spying an energy gauge on the gauntlet. “And from the looks of things, if you didn't have this weapon, you'd be nothing. You're lacking in battle experience.”

“He does, but I don't.” He heard a sweeter voice say before sensing a series of icicles flying at him. He let go of the general and dodged out of the way, Esdeath marching toward him with a raised hand. “I was hoping you'd start something, fighting a god of any kind sounds like fun.” She said with a smile.

'Now this one might be some cause for concern.' Ichigo thought, getting a familiar Kenpachi vibe from the icy general. 'Can't fight in here, too crowded.' Ichigo dropped to the ground, placing his hand on the floor. “Bakudo #21, Senkienton.” He quickly chanted, creating a massive explosion of smoke to distract the two. He then reinforced himself with his Blut and Hierro and jumped through the rest of the palace, spying the wall surrounding the city district.

(Current time)

Now here he is, his strength limited, in an unknown world, with two very powerful individuals trapping him between them, and they want to either capture or kill him. Neither of which was something he was going to allow to happen, but he needed to be careful. Lightning and ice, brute force and a creative combatant, he'd say it's like fighting Yoruichi and Toshiro at the same time but he doubted either of them were as dangerous as his Shinigami allies. All the same, his head was still spinning and he hasn't felt like he was truly used to his restraints just yet.

“Before we do this, tell me.” Ichigo started, planning out how he was going to do this fight. “Are you two the strongest the empire has to offer?”

“I'm known as the strongest in the empire.” Esdeath answered. “He's known as the 'great general' and personally protects the palace for a reason.” It was then that she noticed that Ichigo's hand was glowing with a swirling yellow energy.

“Good. Bakudo #4, Hainawa.” Ichigo quickly said, flicking his glowing hand at Esdeath who was ensnared in a rope of light. As he did that, Budo charged like lightning to punch Ichigo, only for the hybrid to disappear from between them. The result was him striking Esdeath and sending her off the wall. “I've got a feeling you've been out of the game for far too long.” Budo felt his blood boil at the thought of a teen, god or not, humiliating him in such a manner.

“You little brat!” He roared turning to the Soul Reaper and charging a ball of electrical energy. The second he shot it, Ichigo flashed next to the man and kicked him in the stomach. He was pushed back dozens of feet, feeling the air drained from his lungs, before gasping and roaring in anger again. He charged at Ichigo and began throwing punch after punch, black thunder clouds forming above the two, with Ichigo dodging and blocking every strike.

“You need to come up with a better strategy.” Ichigo said before catching Budo's wrist and throwing him over the shoulder into one of the towers on the wall. “You've seen that I match you in speed and in strength. Why do you keep using strategies that don't and will not work?” Budo got up to glare at him, before smirking and making a lightning bolt crash down on the Soul Reaper. Ichigo had just a single second to look up and react.

“I admit, I've grown rusty during my time protecting the palace.” Budo said as he made lightning continue to fall on Ichigo. “Thank you for showing me this folly in my actions. I will work on that after you're dead.” It was then he noticed that Ichigo did not scream one time. He was growling and a ball of yellow light was forming in his hands, the lightning concentrating there. “What the-?”

“Hado #63, Raikoho!” Ichigo called out, firing the energy back into the sky and dispersing the clouds. Budo gaped at the man, someone that completely redirected his attacks and still stood strong. “Nice try Budo, but I know how to redirect lightning.” The great general brought his arms together, attempting to use his trump card ability, but Ichigo flashed in front of him again and spartan kicked him in the chest. He was sent flying again and crashed through the debris pile from earlier. “Tell me, are you on the Prime Minister's side?” He asked the man as he dug his way back out.

“I know what Honest is doing to this nation.” Budo answered. “As soon as this rebellion is over, I will kill him and Esdeath.” He promised, readying to shoot another ball of lightning, only to find Adramelech was no longer on his arms. The gauntlets were on the ground behind Ichigo.

“And they know this?” Ichigo guessed, Budo nodding his head while trying to think of how to retrieve his Teigu. “You really are an idiot aren't you?” Ichigo said, picking up the gauntlets and giving them a closer examination. “Tell me Budo, what is the reason behind this rebellion?” Budo found no reason not to tell him. If the Shinigami was going to be neutral, maybe the god of death could offer some wisdom.

“Widespread corruption at the hands of the Prime Minister.” The general answered. “He controls his majesty like a puppet and does as he pleases, squeezing the life out of the empire. Esdeath protects his rule and his corruption ensures another fight for her amusement.”

“If that's the case, then why not work with the rebellion?” Ichigo suggested, which enraged Budo.

“I serve the empire! I will never turn against-!” He roared before Ichigo punched him on the head.

“You are doing nothing.” Ichigo scolded. “While you stand there, feeling pride in keeping the palace safe, the empire you serve is dying from a parasite. That is worse than rebellion because you have done NOTHING to save your empire!” Ichigo roared, making Budo think back on his inaction. “At least do SOMETHING to try and save it. Get that kid away from Honest, supply information to the rebels about the most corrupt officials, just stop doing nothing.” The Soul Reaper pleaded, and the general felt ashamed. How much damage was the result of his own inaction? He found his Teigu tossed to him, looking up to Ichigo. “Put those back on and grit your teeth.” The general quickly obeyed while Ichigo raised his palm to the general's head, and soon the general passed out. “Inemuri, you are such a useful Kido.” Ichigo said before sensing that his Hainawa was finally broken. “Your turn now.” Ichigo said as he ran along the wall, sensing that Esdeath was following him.

(Esdeath Fight)

“That was mean of you.” The icy general said after chasing Ichigo for a kilometer along the parapet of the wall until he stopped. “Tying me up like that and then running off to have fun with that geezer Budo? I suppose only someone that's unfamiliar with me could be so audacious.” Ichigo turned to face the woman. “You truly are fascinating, Soul Reaper. Not many people can fight with Budo.”

“I assume you have a weapon similar to his?” Ichigo asked, looking back on the damage from fighting the other general. A few buildings were trashed by the lightning and the section of the wall itself seemed to be on the verge of crumbling. 'She's definitely a more experienced fighter, likely meaning that when we fight the damage will be a lot worse. What's more, I know that glint in her eyes. Kenpachi has the same look of battlelust.' He thought as he tried to think of a way to keep the damage to a minimum.

“That 'weapon' you speak of, is called a Teigu.” She answered, placing a hand over the tattoo on her chest. “There are many different kinds of Teigu that only go to whoever is compatible with that Teigu. Budo's Adramelech can command lightning. I can control ice.” To emphasis that point, she created several floating ice shards and aimed them at Ichigo.

“I see.” Ichigo said, raising his hands. 'This means that there are weapons in this world similar to Zanpakuto, and every Zanpakuto was unique to their wielder. Meaning that every Teigu should be a unique weapon.' She fired the icicles at Ichigo, who swerved around the barrage and flashed into Esdeath's guard. She merely grinned in anticipation of the fight before Ichigo shot his foot upward, which she blocked but was still sent flying upward. She winced from the throbbing in her arms from the attack, but she's never felt such elation.

'He's strong, stronger than anyone I've ever met!' She thought as she summoned as giant pillar of ice. “Hagelsprung!” She called out as she threw the ice at the death god, who was waving his hands about very quickly. Suddenly, four glowing lights appeared around her.

“Ryubi no Jomon, Kigai no Jomon, Koko no Jomon, Hoyoku no Jomon.” Ichigo chanted, surrounding her with a white gate, a black watermill, a green scale shield, and a red ring connected to an obelisk above her, all of which formed a large black box. “Shiju no Saimon.” The Soul Reaper finished, trapping her inside. She did not growl, merely glared in annoyance, as she tried using her ice to break out. However, the barrier held despite her efforts. “You're only getting out of there when I'm done.” Ichigo said, floating by the cube before opening one of the gates and entering inside. “If you so want a fight, I'll give you one.” He said, unsheathing one of his two Zanpakuto. “Shatter, Kyoka Suigetsu.” The blade pulsed with energy and Esdeath grinned in anticipation.

“Come then, god of death.” She said, drawing her massive rapier. “If I best you, will you be mine?” That last one threw him off.

“Wait, what?” He asked, looking at the girl he was certain was insane.

“It was merely a passing fancy at first, the idea of falling in love.” She said, as if talking about weather. “Could I fall in love? Who could I possibly love? I even began thinking of a list of qualities I would need for my lover. Powerful, fearless, came from outside the capital, you even had a nice smile. The only thing out of place is the age.” She said with mild disappointment. “I was hoping for someone younger than me, but I can work with an ageless deity.”

“I'm fifteen.” Ichigo blurted out, surprising Esdeath. “I may be a Shinigami, but I am a teenager in human years. As for the other requirements, I may be holding back but rest assured. If you are the empire's strongest, NONE are more powerful than me.” He said as Esdeath felt an intense pressure on her very soul, and she could only grin in excitement. This strong and STILL holding back? She needed to make him her's.

“Then let's go Ichigo!” She roared, raising her hand and sending a wave of ice spikes toward the man she desired. Ichigo raised his own hand and made his counter.

“Hado #33, Sokatsui.” He calmly cast as a massive torrent of blue flames burst from his hand, the fires matching the ice. “Ye lord. Mask of flesh and bone, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man. Truth and temperance, upon this sinless wall of dreams unleash but slightly the wrath of your claws.” He said as the flames burned even hotter and fiercer, now easily overtaking Esdeath's ice. Seeing no way to dodge, she created a thick barrier of ice and kept reinforcing it in the hopes of limiting the damage.

'For a reaper of souls, he has plenty of power. Hollows must really be powerful monsters.' She thought with a growing smile. 'What I would give to hunt them!' The collision of elements ended with a final burst of flame that shattered her barrier but also quickly dissipated, with Ichigo charging at her with his blade ready to cleave her in two. She brought up her rapier to cut him, or at least knock him aside, but Ichigo blocked and slid down the length of her sword while bringing his elbow to her gut. She caught it with her free hand and began to freeze him, but Ichigo quickly punched her in the throat and kneed her in the stomach. 'As suspected,' she thought in ecstasy, 'only an equal would satisfy me.' She slammed against the wall of the barrier and was getting ready to retaliate when she noticed Ichigo already in front of her.

“Ikkotsu.” He whispered before punching her in the gut as the barrier broke apart. 'This needs to end.' Ichigo thought, his vision getting blurry from the strain of his seals working against him. If it wasn't for his ridiculous amount of Reishi and stamina, he'd be on the receiving end of this fight. “Hope you had fun Esdeath, but I'm calling it quits for now!” He called out, the ice mistress already back on her feet.

“You think I'll let this end?” She asked, still smiling madly despite holding her ribs in pain. “This is the first fight I've enjoyed in a long time! Give me more Soul Reaper!”

“Maybe later.” Ichigo said, knowingly angering the woman. “I'm done for today. Bye.” He said before charging off toward the North.

“I won't let you get away!” She shouted before charging after the image of the Soul Reaper, never knowing that the real one was still on the parapet of the wall.

“Damn, she's as crazy as Zaraki.” Ichigo groaned, grabbing his head in a futile effort to keep the world from spinning. “I need to get somewhere safe. Need to....” He stopped when he found a long raven haired girl with red eyes in a black sleeveless dress and a blonde scantily clad woman, both looking at him in shock and amazement. “And what do you two want?”

(Omakes: Cause I can't think of a new clever name for this)

In the labs of Soul Society, one man in particular was tinkering away with his latest device while thinking of what kind of things his pupil would learn and was glad he managed to condense a Reishi 3D printer down to such a size for the hybrid. Then he suddenly sneezed and felt a chill go down his spine.

“I think Ichigo might be mad at me.”


	2. Shinigami and Assassins

(At the Palace)

“Are you sure Prime Minister?” The young Makoto asked as he entered his bedchambers. “I've never left the walls of the palace before. Maybe I should see the state of the empire with my own eyes.” He said, while crawling into his bed, as Honest continued to talk with him.

“You're Majesty,” the man started, “he said so himself. He is a reaper of the dead, not a lord of the living. What would he know about leading an empire?” He smiled, while biting into a chunk of meat. “And you do give audience to members of the kingdom, have they seemed dissatisfied? Your place is within the castle, where you are safest.” He swallowed the mouthful while the emperor laid his head down to sleep. “You are doing a wonderful job, Your Majesty. Have I ever lied to you before?” He said before shutting the door, leaving Emperor Makoto alone.

“You haven't Prime Minister.” He said, closing his eyes to sleep. 'But what reason would a god have to lie to me?' He thought before going into the land of dreams.

(With Prime Minister Honest)

'Damn that blasted Ichigo Kurosaki!' Honest thought scowling at the thought of the Soul Reaper that appeared out of nowhere. 'Where does he get off, ruining my carefully laid plans? If that brat leaves the castle and decides to actually do anything, I can kiss this cushy life of mine goodbye. I can't exactly find a replacement puppet, not with the current state of the Empire!' He tore into the meat he had, now free of the need to control himself around his puppet. 'Well, it's no matter. He sure to be dead by now. How many can possibly challenge the mighty Esdeath?' He smiled before coming across an unconscious Budo being carried by two of Esdeath's three beasts, with the general herself looking furious. “Esdeath, tell me you have good news.” He demanded, growing concerned that the key to his power would be incapable of serving his needs.

“The Shinigami got away, I underestimated him.” She bluntly replied, wincing as she felt her bruised stomach from when Ichigo punched her. “I wanted to avoid killing him so much, I held back and he escaped me.” She smiled as a blush colored her cheeks before whispering to herself. “He is amazing.” 

“Not just Budo, but you were unable to best him?” Honest asked, already trying to think of how to deal with the Shinigami. Brute force did nothing so far, and now he disappeared. Before anything else can be done, he needed Ichigo found. “I'll begin to have wanted posters made immediately, and we'll-”

“That is a terrible idea.” The general immediately said, interrupting the man. “It's just been established that he can match me in combat and that he will defend himself. If you turn this into a manhunt, you will waste resources that will result in nothing but failures to bring him in.” She then took on a predatory grin. “Besides, our deal was that so long as I have my fun I will side with you. This is my hunt, so do not interfere.” She left the threat hanging in the air, daring the Prime Minister to make a foolish decision.

“Very well General.” Honest said, knowing a losing battle when he saw it. Besides, there was sense in Esdeath's claim. He just needed to use it. “Where was he going before you lost sight of him?”

“He was heading Northward before vanishing before my eyes. That's my only clue.” She said, thinking back on similar difficult hunts from her youth.

“That's a fortunate coincidence.” The glutton said, pleasantly surprised. “The Northern territories have been getting unruly as of late. I was thinking of sending you there to wipe them out. Maybe killing off the entire nation will summon him to you?” Esdeath thought it over, baiting a god for a rematch sounded tempting.

“I might just do that.” She smiled coldly.

(Unknown Location)

Hidden away, behind a thick forest and mountain stone far from the rest of civilization, was a building. A featureless fortress that seemed carved directly into a stone cliff, definitely a building that looks like it's balancing the top of the natural rock on top of it. Inside this mountain base was a collection of individuals, soldiers, a merchant, carefree folks, all that felt a dissatisfaction with the current state of the empire and serve a niche critical to any war. Assassination.

This was the base of Night Raid, the assassination corp of the Revolutionary Army. They target those that are crucial in the Empire's corrupt regime and strike them down, weakening the state for when the war reaches the Capital. They also gather intelligence and retrieve any of the weapons called Teigu to strengthen their rebel forces. As such, two members of this group were investigating an unknown that recently crashed into the palace and fought against the two leading generals of the empire, and the appearance of weird Danger Beasts that appeared and disappeared almost instantly. They found Ichigo Kurosaki and brought him back to their base, offering him a safe place to rest himself, where he took a bed and encased himself in a pyramid of glowing light before falling asleep.

“That's quite a story you two.” A silver haired woman with a robotic arm said, looking at the teen within the barrier. “I personally know how dangerous Esdeath is, and you're saying that kid managed to hold her off on his own?”

“We only saw the aftermath boss.” The blonde girl said. “This big cube thing shattered with him punching her, then he landed on the parapet of the wall before she ran after... something.”

“It seemed like she was chasing an illusion, so he likely has a Teigu of his own.” The black haired one said. “He could be a key asset.” The leader of the group took a drag of her cigarette, mulling over the idea before coming to a conclusion.

“Keep an eye on him, and let me know when he wakes up.” She said before leaving the room. 'Someone that can fight her... just one person capable of that level of strength is terrifying enough, now there's another?' She needed to play her cards right, for the sake of the nation that is the Empire. This person was Najenda, leader of the assassination unit called Night Raid and former general of the Empire. And this teen may just be the godsend she was hoping for against Esdeath.

The hours passed as Ichigo continued to rest, his body finally reaching stability with the Reishi of the world, while Night Raid members kept watch over him in shifts. As the spiritual power imbalance righted itself, the already abnormal appearances of strange Danger Beasts began to fade as well, leaving only a few individuals catching any glimpse of one of the masked monsters. Soon, the morning sun bled over the horizon as the new day dawned. The light reached the Soul Reaper and roused him from his slumber as the rays danced on his eyes.

'Ugh. Whether in this world or back home, mornings always suck.' He thought as he stretched his body, the increased blood flow helping to further awaken him. He sat up and snapped his fingers, dispelling the barrier that kept him safe. 'No headache, no disorientation, I still feel a bit stiff but not as bad as last night.' He analyzed himself, not noticing the other occupant in the room.

“Well, you're a handsome one.” Ichigo finally looked to the side, seeing a tall and buff man with a thick black pompadour in the shape of a heart, wearing a black skin tight shirt with green chest and shoulder armor. “Name's Bulat, nice to meet ya.” He said with a smile... and a wink that made the Soul Reaper a little suspicious about the man's preferences. “Hate to ruin your morning, but the boss wanted to meet you as soon as you wake up.”

“I guess that's fair,” Ichigo said as he got out of bed and continued to stretch, “I did sleep in your house after all.” After a few more stretches and bones popping, he was ready for a talk and hopefully breakfast. “Alright, let's do this.” He said as Bulat escorted him from the sleeping quarters to the meeting room of the base. Inside was six more people, a purple haired woman with glasses, a lilac Chenogasm, and a scar on her right cheek, a green haired teen with red goggles and a green hoodie, a pink haired girl with twin tails in a pink dress that seemed to be looking down on him, the two he met that brought him here, and a woman with a robotic arm that seemed to be the leader.

“Welcome, whoever you are, glad to see you're awake.” She said, popping in a cigarette and lighting it. “It's not often one fights Esdeath and lives, let alone one that manages to walk away. Who are you stranger?” Ichigo took a moment to observe his surroundings, finding that he was soon surrounded by the group. They weren't showing obvious aggression, but he was familiar with assassins and recognized their readiness to pounce. Not nearly on Onmitsukido levels, but not half bad.

“I'm Ichigo Kurosaki, Soul Reaper.” He answered getting surprised looks from the group, with the boss lady and the black haired girl still analyzing him. “Do I get to know my hosts, or doesn't that count for good manners to introduce yourselves first?” Some of the assassins shifted about at that, but the boss took a drag and exhaled before answering.

“I'm Najenda, the leader of Night Raid.” She used her cigarette to point at the other members of her group, starting with the blonde from last night. “My team members are Leone,” the black haired girl, “Akame, you've met Bulat,” the pink girl, “Mine,” the goggles guy, “Lubbock,” ending on the purple haired girl, “and Sheele. How much do you know about what's going on?”

“I'm more interested in what a Soul Reaper is.” Lubbock interrupted. “Are you really the guy that ferries the souls of the dead to the afterlife?”

“Not as intimidating as I expected.” Mine interjected. “What a letdown.” Najenda sent a glare to the two, shutting them up rather quickly.

“Well, I already know that the Empire is in a state of civil war.” Ichigo answered, going by what he was told and what he figured out for himself. “I know that the Prime Minister is likely the main culprit and the Emperor is nothing but a puppet to him.” Najenda nodded, showing him that everything he just said was pretty much the truth. “I'm guessing Night Raid is a faction of the revolutionary army?”

“Assassination, reconnaissance, any dirty job that needs doing to weaken the Empire.” Najenda responded. “And I suspect you know what I'm about to ask of you.”

“Whether or not I'll join or how I managed to fight Esdeath?” He said, gambling on the possibility of enacting his plan to escape if necessary. When Najenda nodded, Ichigo put his plan into motion. “Well, in reverse order, I fought Esdeath using this.” He unsheathed his Kido blade, only Akame heard him whisper 'Shatter'. “Kyoka Suigetsu.” The blade pulsed in response. “My blade, my Zanpakuto, was the key for that fight. It allowed me to create the illusion that led her run off after I said the fight was over.”

“And that other sword on your hip,” Akame started, “is that also a Zanpakuto?”

“It is, but that sword is strictly for fighting.” He turned his attention back to Najenda. “Every Shinigami has a Zanpakuto and every Zanpakuto is unique. Some are simple weapon changes while others rival and exceed the most powerful Teigu, at least from what I've seen from Esdeath and Budo.” Ichigo thought back to some of the other Zanpakuto he's seen from his allies in the Gotei. “I'm familiar with ice manipulation, and the man that trained me controlled fire. He's said to have the strongest offensive might of any Soul Reaper.”

“So there are other Shinigami?” Najenda asked, processing the new information while the others questioned how believable the story was.

“Yes, but I am the only one in the Empire.” The hybrid answered before getting to the next point. “And no, I will not join you.” He said, making the other members either angry, sad, or disappointed by the rejection. “This is your war, I will not fight it.”

“Well, we can't let you go freely.” Lubbock stated. “Not when you've seen our base.”

“Oh really?” Ichigo said, suddenly behind Lubbock as he released his hypnosis on the group. His hand was around Lubbock's throat and held a blade under Najenda's. Akame's blade. “Would you like to tell me how you plan to stop me?” Before anyone could react, Najenda shouted.

“Nobody move!” All the assassins froze in place, the general keeping them under control. “I apologize for my subordinate’s rudeness. I assume the Emperor also asked you to join him and you said no?” She asked, remaining calm despite the instant kill blade under her neck. “What do you plan to do?”

“My orders are to reap souls and not involve myself in your war.” Ichigo answered. “That's my only commitment here.”

“And why are you flesh and blood instead of spirit?” She asked, finding it odd that a spiritual being would be here in the flesh.

“Technically I'm both. I'm still driven by the need of sleep and hunger but I can't eat human food as a spirit.”

“So you'll need a place to live?” Ichigo nodded, making Najenda smile. “Then you can live here.” She said, surprising everyone. “I won't ask you to fight our battles or join in our assassinations, but you will have to defend the place if attacked. Sound fair?” She asked, making Ichigo mull over the idea. The others remained silent, figuring that she had a good reason for this.

“I have one condition,” he returned, “are you planning to kill the Emperor as well?”

“He may just be a puppet, but the people may not be satisfied with just Honest's death.”

“You're not killing the kid. He's just as much a victim.” Ichigo returned, releasing Lubbock before walking over to Akame and handing back her sword.

“Ichigo, that's not up to-” She started before a crushing pressure brought them all to their knees.

“The kid lives. That's final.” Ichigo repeated as proceeded to walk out of the base.

(Timeskip: Back in the capital)

Days and weeks passed as Ichigo acclimated to his new life. Within a week, he carved out a training basement under Night Raid's headquarters to serve as his base. The following week was spent trying to understand Kisuke's gift, a portable lab that seemed like a simple briefcase. Ichigo had access to virtually anything he would need to research and experiment with, engineering, chemistry, biology, Kisuke even managed to create a 3D printer that relied on Reishi, everything in that kit was powered by Reishi. Something that Ichigo had in great abundance as he powered it up and made the first thing that came to mind in the Shinigami tools section. A Soul Visualization Device, which resulted in a brown slug-like thing with purple spots and a mummified head with an eye in the mouth. He tested its effectiveness with Akame and Mine when revealing a Hollow he captured for the test. Mine screamed while Akame asked how it would taste, getting disappointed when told she couldn't eat it.

The rest of the month and the next Ichigo spent studying the history of the Empire, the Teigu, lore books, the various Danger Beasts in the world, and sending the occasional spirit to the hereafter. Hollows have been steering clear of the capital, likely ever since Ichigo first appeared there, and only rarely show up. Ichigo had been disgusted by the amount of death that was in the capital, Budo was facing a lot of ridicule for his loss, that fat Prime Minister was sticking close to the child emperor at all times, and Esdeath was currently gone. The only upside was that Budo was training himself to make up for his loss. The capital was waning on Ichigo's patience, always arriving to souls crying out about the injustices they suffered, the cruelty of their deaths, and the hate they all felt at their fates. It broke his heart, he wanted to strike down everyone that was doing the killing, but that would be a slippery slope. Yamamoto warned him against taking justice into his own hands, knowing that doing so was an easy path into becoming a tyrant.

'How can I help these people?' He asked himself, begging for some kind of answer, do some good while staying within the rules that were set out for him. He sensed an angry soul coming from within the noble district in the capital and went toward it, finding a girl with long black hair and black eyes. Her skin was a pale yellow and she was wrapped in chains, chains that wrapped around the shed on the mansion's property. 'A bound spirit.' He noted as he got closer to her.

“You vile bitch! I swear you'll get yours one day! Don't you DARE hurt Tatsumi!” She yelled out in anger at being unable to make her voice heard and sorrow that someone else she cared about was about to meet the same terrible fate she did. “Tatsumi RUN!”

“I'm sorry to say, but he can't hear you. No matter how loudly you scream.” Ichigo said, making her turn to face the Soul Reaper. Her face had tear stains and the hole on her chest was close to opening. “Is he a friend of yours?” He asked while examining the house. 'Didn't Leone talk about a mission earlier?' He thought while remembering a discussion about a wealthy family masquerading as a charitable family, only to torture people to death.

“He is.” The girl admitted. “We were supposed to come to the capital, find employment, help our village, but we got separated during a bandit attack along the way. Myself, Tatsumi, and our other friend Ieyasu. Ieyasu and I got tricked by those monsters, they tortured me until I died while drugging Ieyasu.” She started crying again, pointing to the shed. “He's still alive in there... suffering. And now they have Tatsumi.” She said before collapsing to her knees. Ichigo didn't know what to say, until he felt six very familiar presences appear.

“Well, looks like your friend is saved.” Ichigo said, looking up as Night Raid appeared. “Just sit back and watch.” The assassins got to work, clearing out the building, making Tatsumi and a blonde girl named Aria, both named by the bound spirit, run out to escape the attack. Tatsumi was a young teen with brown, spiky hair, green eyes, and a penchant for shortswords and Aria was apparently the one that tortured the spirit to her death. They continued to watch as Tatsumi faced off against Akame, was stopped by Leone, and shown the truth.

“Sayo? Hey Sayo. Sayo!” Tatsumi called out desperately, begging her to answer. Ichigo tuned them out, recognizing only a tenth of the victims inside as people he managed to get to. The rest... probably became Hollows or were eaten. How many more victims were out there? How many more murderers? In that moment, Ichigo knew that he needed to step up his efforts. Only he can help the dead.

“Sayo? Sayo is that you?” He heard someone say as a boy with spiky black hair, brown eyes, and a martial arts headband appeared. A chain on his chest showing that he was a soul.

“Ieyasu!” Sayo called out hugging her friend. That sight brought Ichigo some comfort, then he saw Aria meet up with who he guessed were her parents.

“Hey, stay here.” Ichigo ordered before flashing in front of the reunited family. “Time to go to Hell.” He said coldly, taking one of his Zanpakuto and tapping the pommel against their foreheads in rapid succession before they could even react. The judgment of the blade made itself clear as they grasped their heads in pain, where the marks glowed a fiery red. Suddenly fire erupted from their skulls until a massive set of doors appeared, held shut by two giant skeletons. The doors opened, fire pouring forth as chains sprang out and attached themselves to the family. They all screamed helplessly as they were dragged away into the realm of eternal torment. With that done, Ichigo flashed back to the two friends. “Any last requests before I send you two off?” He asked, making them look to the Reaper in fear. “Don't worry, you two aren't going to Hell. Unless you were really awful people, but I doubt that you were.” He said, calming their nerves.

“Well, if you can,” Sayo started, “could you help us say goodbye to Tatsumi?” She asked, Ieyasu nodding in agreement. Ichigo looked to the storehouse full of corpses and the chain that kept Sayo bound to it.

“Hado #54, Haien.” Ichigo called out before throwing a purple orb of energy to the storehouse, causing it to erupt into flames that burned it away in seconds. To ensure Sayo's freedom, Ichigo swung his blade and cut the chains that attached her to the storehouse. “Hang on you two.” Ichigo ordered, taking hold of both of them and flashing back to the Night Raid base. He made the trip within seconds, beating the assassins by a large margin, and stood them outside the base. “Wait here.” He said before dropping down to his training basement and recovering the Soul Visualization slug.

“What is that!?” Sayo demanded, freaked out by the creepy contraption.

“And I thought that storehouse was freaky.” Ieyasu muttered.

“This is what will let you say your goodbyes.” Ichigo answered, seeing Night Raid's return. He took the ring that would let him exist in the living world and slipped it on, appearing out of nowhere to the assassins. “Tatsumi?” He called out, gaining the kid's attention. “Here.” He activated the projector, revealing the two souls to their friend.

(Illustrated Guide to Assassination)

Hollow Concerns

“Hey Ichigo!” Leone called out to the hybrid while he was reading the book on every known Teigu that Night Raid had. “Hollows are a huge danger right? How can we stop them from attacking civilians when you're not around?”

“Don't worry about it.” Ichigo responded offhandedly. “Humans aren't normally worth eating anyway. I know none of you are.” Leone wasn't sure whether to be confused or offended.

Why Ichigo isn't going to train Tatsumi

“Hey, Mr. Ichigo!” Ichigo looked up from his journal that he started writing to record possible recruits for the Blood War, and to keep track of any and all possible threats in the world. Tatsumi was running to him with a blunt practice sword. “I heard you're incredibly powerful. Could you perhaps train me?” Ichigo merely stared at the boy, closing his journal and standing up.

“Stop this.” Ichigo ordered, tossing his journal into the air. The very next instant, Tatsumi was on the ground. “Were you even able to follow that?” He asked, Tatsumi unable to say anything and still trying to grasp what just happened. “You're way too weak to be training with me kid.” The book fell back into Ichigo's hand. “Come back when you're leagues stronger than you are now.”


	3. Changing Capital

(With Night Raid and Ichigo)

“Sayo? Ieyasu?” Tatsumi stared at his two friends in shock, swearing that he just saw their dead bodies, and the orange haired man dressed in black that called to him. He ran out to the two, passing through as he attempted to hug his lost friends. “Wha? But-”

“You can see them, but you can't touch them.” Ichigo explained, the boy looking at the Soul Reaper while on the verge of tears. “This is so you can give them a proper goodbye.” The two souls looked to Tatsumi with sad smiles.

“Sorry Tatsumi, that's all we can do.” Sayo told him.

“It's up to you now.” Ieyasu said, putting on a confident smile. “Sorry to leave our goals to you alone but if anyone can pull it off, it's you.” Sayo turned to the members of Night Raid.

“You wanted to recruit him right?” She asked, Leone stepping up to the ghost.

“Yeah, he's got what it takes.” She said, thinking back to how Tatsumi handled himself earlier that night. “He's going to need some training, but he's got potential.”

“You'd better take care of him.” Sayo warned. “Or I'll haunt you guys.” Ichigo coughed loudly, letting them know that it was time to pass on.

“Who are you?” Tatsumi asked, finally remembering the Shinigami after seeing his friends.

“Ichigo Kurosaki, the Empire's resident Death God.” Bulat said, his voice filtered through the armor. Tatsumi practically lit up at the news.

“A god? Then maybe-” He started, only for Ichigo to shoot it down.

“They've died Tatsumi.” He sternly said, taking out his Zanpakuto and tapping Sayo and Ieyasu on the head with the pommel. “Once you've died, you do not come back to life. Not like how you're thinking.” The pair said 'goodbye' one last time as they glowed a bright white before flying away as black butterflies. “You don't get second chances.”

“But... you're a god.” Tatsumi weakly argued.

“I may be Shinigami, but the official title and duty is Soul Reaper.” Ichigo explained. “I help the dead pass on.” 'And I may be pushing the limits of what I can and can't do already.' “You should make your peace.” He said, Tatsumi dropping to his knees as that last bit of hope of seeing his friends alive truly disappeared. He began crying, clinging to Sheele as she embraced him in a gentle hug, mourning the loss of his friends and the cruel reality that the Death God made clear.

(Timeskip: The Capital)

It's been three days since Tatsumi was brought in by Night Raid, two for him to recover from his loss and the last he spent talking to the members of the assassination group. He also badgered Ichigo about the afterlife and asking questions that Ichigo just did not have the answers to, especially since he knew nothing about the dimension's religion. The kid made a point to camp out in Ichigo's personal room beneath the base to talk to the Soul Reaper. Ichigo eventually learned to find comfortable roofs to sleep on, expecting to spend days in the capital just to escape the kid. More than that, he spent his time helping every soul he could find to help pass on.

“It never ends.” Ichigo sighed, performing hundreds of Konso on so many dead. Dead with anger and hate for the corrupt and sadistic of the Empire. Even the small percent he could help find closure paled in comparison to the numbers he forced to pass on, the ones that demanded vengeance or justice. On the Hollow side, dozens kept appearing from souls he couldn't reach before the transformation and ended up slaying without mercy. At times, he wondered if he should forgo any sense of niceties and just Konso every soul as fast as he could. Before Ichigo realized it, he was walking on the palace grounds.

“Been a while since I was here.” He said to himself as guards walked around. No one noticed the Shinigami, he was in his spirit form and thus invisible to those without sufficient spirit energy. “Might as well see what's going on here. Maybe this might help take my mind off things. Willing to bet that fatass is still hovering over the kid.” He said as he phased through the walls. Much to his disappointment, he was right. Honest was still hovering over Makoto's side, smiling as the kid sentenced a man to imprisonment and congratulating him. But for the briefest instant, he thought he saw some small measure of doubt in the kid's eyes.

'Nothing is going to change unless that kid gets some independence.' Ichigo thought as the Prime Minister guided him out of the room, discussing lunch plans. Ichigo's hand twitched, imagining just how easy it would be for him to kill that fat bastard, but he forcibly stayed his hand. That was not his decision to make, who lives and who dies, not even where he sent people was entirely his choice. He released a sigh of frustration before sending out a Pesquisa pulse. He sensed the Teigu in the vault and on their users, an incredible presence under the palace, a man with thunder in his soul on the training field, and found out how strong Honest was. That last one surprised him.

'While surprising, I doubt it's anything to worry about.' He thought as he began walking to the training field. 'I should probably warn those Night Raid guys about him. I may not be fighting for them, but that doesn't mean I can't offer any advice. Now, why can't I sense Esdeath?' He wondered as he reached the training field, where he found Budo sparring with what he assumed to be members of the Royal Guard.

“I said, 'Come at me with the intent to kill me!'” He roared as he sent a man flying with a punch, tossing around his sparring partners with some small effort. Ichigo reached out and manifested spirit ribbons, grabbing onto Budo's and putting the general on alert. “That's enough for today. All of you get some rest.” He ordered, something many of the guards were relieved to hear as they left. Soon, the only people were Budo and Ichigo. “Are you there, Soul Reaper?” He asked as Ichigo put on his Gigai Ring, as he took to calling it.

“I see you taking some of my advice to heart.” Ichigo said as he manifested into a physical form. Budo didn't say anything, but looked to a window above Ichigo and giving a silent warning. The hybrid nodded and disappeared again, only to reappear where Budo indicated and found a soldier looking confused. Ichigo brought out a 'memory modifier' and clicked it in front of the man, who passed out and began talking about Budo seeing his wife. 'It'll do.' He thought before flashing back down to Budo.

“Honest has his agents spying on me after you bested me.” The general informed the Soul Reaper. “He has his paid drones watching me while he hovers over the Emperor like a damned hawk. I would be doing something, but I've been unable to do anything. The only time he leaves the Emperor's side is when the Emperor is too occupied with something other than state affairs, like when he's bathing or sleeping or just being a child.” Budo growled, frustrated with his lack of ability to do anything with the current situation.

“How severe is the watch?” Ichigo asked, scanning the area around them for anymore possible spies. “Is it just one at a time or completely random?” Budo shook his head.

“I'm under constant watch,” He answered, “now was just one of the few lucky times I only had one person watching me.” He looked the Soul Reaper in the eye. “I know I probably shouldn't ask this of you, but Honest is looking for any reason to have me dismissed and executed. If you can, can you take the Emperor and show him the state of the Empire?” Ichigo thought for a moment, debating whether or not he could or if that was in violation of his duties. One idea did pop into his head though, he just needed to make the right tool for the job.

“I'll consider it.” He said as he got ready to leave, before realizing something was off. “By the way, I can't sense Esdeath. What's going on with her?”

“You can sense people?” Budo asked, surprised for a second before scoffing. “Of course you can. She was dispatched to subjugate the Northern Tribes. She hopes to find you there since she last saw you heading North.”

“She'll be disappointed then. I never left the Capital.” Ichigo informed him. “There's so much death here already, I'd need a whole squad to cover all the souls here. Besides, I'm not getting involved in the war.”

“Then can you stop a massacre?” Budo suddenly asked, surprising Ichigo. “Esdeath loves battle, LIVES to fight, nothing brings her more joy than the suffering of her enemies. After crushing an army, she'll let her soldiers pillage and rape to their hearts' content while she makes any survivors watch, just on the chance that they'll grow stronger and challenge her again.” Ichigo was shocked, even Unohana at her worst wasn't this bloodthirsty in her days as the first Kenpachi. She was going to need more than Ichigo's 'Kenpachi treatment', she needed to be humbled. The question of 'could' and 'should' didn't come to the Soul Reaper's mind, he was going to stop her from attacking civilians.

“We'll have to find out. See you in a few days.” Ichigo said as he removed his ring and traveled back to the Night Raid base.

(Night Raid Perimeter)

“Here we go, hopefully Tatsumi will lay off and... hmm?” Ichigo said, flashing back to the forest around Night Raid's base and feeling more presences in the area. “Let's see... Sheele, Akame, Mine, Bulat, Lubbock, Leone, Tatsumi, Najenda's back, and another eight people in the forest. I'm fairly certain they weren't invited to join Night Raid.” He stretched his body, bones popping all over, as he got ready. “Time to earn my keep.” He said before disappearing in a flash.

The first stop was by the river, finding three of the people. They were dark skinned and seemed to dress similar to African tribesman back on Earth, all were on guard like they knew they were in enemy territory. Ichigo was standing high above, on solid Reishi, out of their range of awareness. Soon the group began to look around, as if they were seeing things, but collapsing onto the ground.

“Hakufuku, you are such a useful spell.” The hybrid said before tossing down a single tendril of orange and yellow energy from a Horin spell, tying up the scouts and hoisting them up to his level. “Now let's move on to the next.” He flashed to a new location, deeper into the forest, with another scout running directly into him. He fell as Ichigo forced himself to stay upright, immediately throwing the Horin tied group into the scout and making him join the bundle. “That's four.” Ichigo counted off, while another scout appeared behind him with the intent to cut his head off. “Make that five.” He said, instantly grabbing the scout's ankle and throwing him into the bundle.

“Who are you!?” One of the bigger guys demanded, before Ichigo held a hand up and his mind went blank.

“Best hurry.” The hybrid said, sensing that Night Raid just found out that they were being invaded. He grabbed the bundle and flashed to a new location, a clearing in the forest with another scout looking to be on the retreat. Tossing aside subtlety, Ichigo threw the Kido bundle into the scout and tying him into it as well. “Two more.” He said, looking to his right and finding a woman about to enter a cave. “This is gonna be rough.” Ichigo summoned up his bow, took aim, and fired. The spirit bolt pierced through trees, rocks, and shot her leg off at the knee.

“Sorry about that.” He muttered, trying to avoid killing. He agreed to protect the hideout, but he never said he'd kill for them. He knew he'd reap the souls anyway but he wanted to avoid killing them himself, killing was not something he wanted to make a habit out of. That didn't stop his reflexes from striking as hard as he could when he felt someone pop up from behind him, courtesy of Yamamoto's new training regime of having Zaraki attack the hybrid at any time. A sickening crack rang out as Ichigo's fist hit the guy's head, twisting it to an unsightly angle and killing the man instantly. Ichigo sighed in disappointment, not the first time he's killed intentionally or accidentally, and it likely won't be the last with the vast difference in strength and power between him and everyone else.

“Well, guess I made the right call making that deal with you.” Najenda said, entering the clearing with most of Night Raid, lit cigarette in hand. Lubbock was apparently taking care of that woman Ichigo shot. “Lubbock thought his wire signal was going haywire for a bit.” She said with a slight chuckle. Without any prompting, Sheele walked up to the scouts tied up in the Horin Kido and cleaved them all in half with her massive pair of scissors.

“And they were mostly alive.” Mine said in a haughty arrogant tone. “What kind of guard dog are-” Ichigo glared at her, looking her dead in the eyes, and she stopped breathing as an invisible weight came crashing down on her.

“The deal is that I protect the base, not that I kill for you.” Ichigo reminded, letting up on his Reiatsu and leaving Mine gasping for air. “Do not mistake the bargain we have.” He turned away from the irritating sniper and turned back to Najenda. “Budo is under heavy watch from the Prime Minister, so if Makoto is going to see the state of the Empire then I'm going to need a certain tool to help get him out of the palace and without Honest interfering.”

“Can you make this tool?” The assassin boss asked, getting a nod from the Shinigami. “You'll be wanting our assistance in testing it out when you're done?” Another nod. “How long do you think that'll take?”

“Depends on how long it'll take me to get back.” Ichigo answered. “Budo also informed me that Esdeath is in the North, looking for me, and about how she treats her victims.” Most of the members of Night Raid cringed at that, knowing the stories of Esdeath's legendary sadism. “I'll be stopping that from happening.” The Soul Reaper informed, performing his Konso on the scouts' souls as soon as they realized they were dead.

“Are you sure you can do that?” Najenda asked, remembering the rules Ichigo set out for them. “Doesn't this mean that you're picking a side? That you're getting involved?”

“Maybe. For now, I see it as picking my side which implores me to protect the civilians.” He returned. “Besides, I doubt your trip to your superiors didn't mention me in the slightest. Did it?” Najenda took a drag from her cigarette.

“They insist I try to either convince you to join us, or find a way to kill you.” She answered, earning surprise from each of the assassins as they gauged their chances. “You're right about your spot on the board Ichigo, you're either an invaluable asset or a threat that needs to be eliminated. This is an order I'll be ignoring since none of us are exactly suicidal.”

“Good girl.” Ichigo returned, getting ready to remove his Gigai Ring. “Don't get into too much trouble while I'm away.” With the ring off, and his power unrestrained, the hybrid flew Northward to find and fight the icy general.

(Capital City of the Northern tribes)

It was pathetically easy, at least for someone like her. Over the course of two months, she and her army made their way to the Northern territory. She felt some mild nostalgia as the biting cold hit her, but she only had one goal in her mission to the North. Find and bring out the Soul Reaper Ichigo Kurosaki, her new obsession. When she and her army reached the fortified capital city, she showed no mercy. She destroyed the walls, froze everyone she came across, killed thousands, and very quickly crushed the 'Hero of the North' Numa Seika. But the Death God did not appear.

'Where is he!' She thought in anger, not even bothering with her hobby of torturing the beaten prince. 'Did he not feel all the death here? What does it take to call him to me!?' Her mind raced for answers. “Maybe more should do it.” She muttered out loud before grinning. “Liver, Daidara, Nyau! Gather the rest of the Northerners and put them inside a pit. Let's bury them alive.” She ordered of an older man with long gray hair and a mustache, a man without pupils and long spiky blonde hair with horns and a beard, and a smaller boyish man with blonde hair and cat-like eyes and fangs.

“Yes, Lady Esdeath!” The three answered as they scrambled to obey. Next to the general was the bare and beaten Numa Seika, whose eyes shown a broken man. The general looked at the lean and dark haired man, someone that was promised as a challenge for his title, but after fighting the Soul Reaper she wasn't even interested enough to be disappointed by the gap in their abilities. Now there he was, hanging on a cross with a collar on a chain leash, arms broken, and killed in spirit. She could have molded him to become a dog to lick her boots clean, but that held no appeal. All she wanted was the Soul Reaper, and hopefully all 400,000 of the remaining Northerners dying might get his attention. Half an hour later, she was ready to make her sacrifice.

“This is your punishment for defying the empire.” She announced to the fearful and huddled masses. “For daring to match our might, our power, when you are just so pathetically weak. But, fear not. For your lives may hold some use, to summon forth my beloved! My god of death!” She said with a mad gleam in her eyes, such that even her own army was beginning to think she lost it. “Ichigo Kurosaki! Come forth and either reap their souls or try to stop me!” She called out as a giant ball of ice formed above the heads of the Northerners, who were now either panicking, praying, or calmly accepting their fates as the ice descended upon them. Then the ball was engulfed in a beam of red screeching light and was disintegrated, shocking everyone into a stunned silence while Esdeath smiled with glee. “You've finally decided to appear,” she looked ahead to find her target on the other side of the pit, “my love.”

“To be honest, I didn't even leave the capital's region.” Ichigo said, walking on air as he made his way to the general. “I likely wouldn't have come if I didn't hear that you were in the North, looking for me.” The general gave a hand gesture, making her whole army step back and away from the unknown figure. No one noticed Numa Seika getting some light in his eyes as hope returned. “Now, you want to tell me what's going on here Esdeath?”

“I wanted to see you again.” She answered, smiling brightly as she blushed. Seeing the man she decided to fall for bringing out the woman in her. “I figured the best way to summon a Death God is to be around death on a grand scale. This was the second try.” She continued to smile, despite Ichigo's glare.

“What makes you think this pleases me?” He asked, a slight pressure in the area appearing and growing little by little.

“I didn't think it would, I just wanted to see you again.” She answered, unaffected but noticing the pressure. “But why should you care anyway? You said it yourself that you weren't going to fight on behalf of the Empire or its enemies. You weren't going to involve yourself in a war”

“There's a difference between a war and a massacre Esdeath.” Ichigo returned. “A war, no matter how one sided, implies that there was fighting between the two. A massacre is the slaughter of those that can't fight or defend themselves.” He grabbed onto one of his blades. “And I'm not going to let you do as you please. Zangetsu.” He called out, now holding a trench and Khyber knife pair of blades and swinging them out to create a large noticeable gash in the ground. “This is the line. You will not cross it.” The ice general licked her lips as she unsheathed her blade.

(Illustrated Guide to Assassination)

Najenda Reports About Ichigo

“-and I believe Leone's report that he can and has fought on par with Esdeath because, when threatened, he disarmed Akame and had me and Lubbock at his mercy within an instant.” The boss of Night Raid reported to her higher ups. “The good news is that he claims to be neutral in this war, so we probably don't have to worry about fighting him. That said, he also won't be allying with us.”

“This is most concerning.” One of the leaders of the Revolution said, cloaked in shadow because the author is too lazy to find an actual image of one of the leaders. “But do you really believe he is a god?”

“I believe he is 'god like', but he insists on Soul Reaper.” She responded. “That, and he's shown to inhabit both the physical and spiritual planes.”

“Either way, this can't be ignored. We'll look for anyone that is capable of joining Night Raid to strengthen your side. In the meantime, you find out anything you can about him. Prioritize vulnerabilities to kill him if necessary. Convince him to join if you can.”

“Understood.” Najenda answered, smiling at the promise of new assassins to aid. Not that they'd do much against the Soul Reaper, but they didn't need to know that.

Mine needs to learn

“Is there something you want Mine?” Ichigo asked, the sniper in question was glaring at the Shinigami as he drank tea and read another book on the history of the Empire.

“How are you Death?” She demanded. “No matter how I look at you, you're just an average teen boy. Aren't you supposed to be skeletal, grim looking, actually scary? I doubt you could scare-” She shut up as Ichigo looked at her with pitch black eyes with piercing gold pupils and every primal instinct in her body screamed at her to run. Then he blinked and his eyes returned to their normal brown.

“Scary enough for you?” Mine said nothing as she went to change her underwear.


	4. Death's Intervention

(Ichigo vs Esdeath)

“Before we do this, answer me this Esdeath.” Ichigo demanded, holding the black blades of Zangetsu at the ready. “Your mission was to subdue the Northern tribes, was it not?” The general nodded, readying herself for the coming fight at the slightest provocation. “Their army has been crushed, is that not enough? Why continue to kill and slaughter, and don't say it was to summon me. I heard from Budo that you have a habit of torturing your victims, like a cat with her prey.” Esdeath looked the Soul Reaper in the eye and told him why.

“The strong live, the weak die.” She said, stating what she felt was the most natural fact. “Is that not the way of the world? Survival of the fittest? The weak will always be subjugated by the strong.” She pointed with her chin to beaten Numa Seika and the group of civilians still trapped in the pit. “They were weak and have no one to blame but themselves for their loss.”

“By that reasoning, you'd have no right to complain if I defeated you.” Ichigo returned, the prince keeping his eyes on the Soul Reaper. “Not that I'd lose to someone so weak.” Esdeath glared at him, demanding an explanation. “All I've ever heard is that you've destroyed, and I'm not impressed. The true measure of strength and power is not in what one destroys, any single person can do that, but by what they can protect and preserve because that is something only few can do. The duty of the strong is to protect and guide the weak so that they may become strong. That's why people become leaders and warriors.”

“Is that what you, a death god, believes?” She said, unable to imagine such a thing as duty in protecting the weak. “I'm supposed to believe that?” Ichigo held his blades at the ready, waiting for the clash of ice and death. “Then prove it to me!” She called as she charged at him, Ichigo met her with a thunderous clash. The strike caused a shock wave and gust of air strong enough to quell the winter winds and snowfall. They stayed in that blade lock for a few seconds, Esdeath gaining an excited smirk for the rematch she was craving and Ichigo charging his Reishi through his blades, making them glow with blackish red and whitish blue.

“You're going to regret asking me to do that.” Ichigo promised before swinging his trench knife, cutting through her rapier before being pushed back by a sudden spike of ice she shot from her free hand. Ichigo grunted from the sudden stab, but never let up on the Blut and Hierro that he learned to keep up at all times. The spear shattered, but she created dual blades of ice to make up for the loss of her sword before the two charged at each other again.

“He- he's matching the general with ease!” One of the soldiers said in shock. “He's on par with the strongest of the Empire!”

“No, not just that.” Another said. “The general is on par with a god!”

“You're right! The general believes he's a god, but she's matching him blow for blow!” With every slash and every clash, Esdeath needed to use her power to restore her ice swords from their damage. Soon her army was chanting her name, cheering her on. Spurred on by her soldiers, she increased her speed and attack frequency before shooting an ice spire from beneath the two. She jumped away while the spire struck Ichigo's chin and uppercut him, sending the Soul Reaper skyward. The cheers of the soldiers rang out louder as he flew into the air, finding a storm of ice shards and boulders aimed right at him.

“You're mightier than the gods themselves general!” Another cried out, Numa Seika stuck between hope and hopeless, while Ichigo prepared his counter.

“Ye lord. Mask of blood and flesh, all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man. On the wall of blue flame, inscribe a twin lotus. In the abyss of conflagration, wait at the far heavens. Hado #73, Soren Sokatsui.” He said before firing a blast of fire so intense, it evaporated the ice and all the clouds. The soldiers were stunned silent, the Northerners began praising their new god as he descended from the heavens. These cries fell on deaf ears as Esdeath grinned, firing shards of ice as rapidly as she could, only to have each one shot down. She barely recognized the glowing bow in Ichigo's hand that he used to deflect her ice shards until he touched down.

“Got you.” Esdeath whispered as she activated her trap, freezing the ground beneath Ichigo and consuming his body instantly. “I told this to the spirit of the ice Danger Beast whose blood I drank for my Teigu, now I say it to you my beloved Shinigami. I am always the one to dominate, regardless of my enemy.” She walked toward the ice encased form of Ichigo Kurosaki, ignoring the cheers of her soldiers and the cries of her already broken enemy.

“God of Death!” Numa Seika cried out. “Please, I beg you, anything you want! My eternal soul, the lives of my children, the praise of my entire nation, anything! Just please! Save my people!” He pleaded to the frozen statue, hoping that the prayer and sacrifice of his life and all else would be enough to empower the new god to defeat the invading army. His cries were met with a hard punch to his face.

“Shut up!” One of the soldiers yelled out as he punched the prince. “None are mightier than our general! The god of Death himself fell before her! Now, time for a proper offering to a true goddess.” He smiled savagely, cocking his gun as he and a few of his comrades marched to the edge of the pit holding the civilians. Esdeath reached the frozen case that was meant to hold the Soul Reaper, there was just one problem. The ice prison was empty.

'How? When did he?' She thought in shock, thinking back to her fight with him, before realizing that her soldiers were right the first time. She wasn't keeping up with the Soul Reaper, he was keeping up with her. She probably hasn't even seen how fast he really is. She turned to order her troops to hold, but they already set a single foot across Ichigo's line. The instant it landed on the ground, Ichigo reappeared in front of the man. His Khyber blade raised high, burning with black energy, and a white mask with vertical lines over the eyes on the Soul Reaper's face.

“Getsuga Tensho!” He called out before slamming his sword down directly on the man's head, cutting him in half. From Ichigo's blade was a wave of destruction that burned away anyone and anything caught in the blast. Esdeath and her army watched as over a thousand of her troops were killed in an instant, the golden glare of Ichigo Kurosaki scanning over them in a manner familiar only to Esdeath. An apex predator picking out its prey.

'He was holding back.' She realized feeling a primal sense of fear she thought she had long forgotten come back at full force. 'Is this his real power? How strong is he?' She wondered in fascination before looking to her troops again, stunned in fear. 'Damn you Ichigo!' She cursed before making the one order she never thought she'd ever give in her military career. “Full retreat!” Fleeing from battle. “He's done being merciful! Retreat, all of you!” She yelled out, finally getting her soldiers to turn and run. She stayed behind, unleashing her full ice power on the Shinigami.

“Bakudo #81, Danku.” Ichigo calmly stated as the ice shattered against the barrier, unable to reach the Soul Reaper. “I'm guessing you realized that I'm holding back.” He said as she stopped the storm of ice shards, instead concentrating on creating a ball of ice so massive it would crush everything in the vicinity. “I still am, just so you know. Now let's see how you stand up to this.” Suddenly a blast of energy shot from his chest toward the general, forcing her to use all the energy she gathered to make an ice wall. The Cero struck the ice, fracturing it, but it quickly faded as Ichigo got behind Esdeath and slammed her head against the ice.

“If you're this powerful, why not kill me?” She demanded, immediately refocusing her energy to create an ice spear beneath the Soul Reaper. She needed to buy time, and she was less concerned with making the death god her's and was more concerned with keeping herself alive. “You can't say 'because you aren't involving yourself in this war'. You're pretty involved if you killed so many of my men!” Her challenge was rewarded by Ichigo slamming her head against the ice again.

“Honestly? Because I'm also scouting soldiers for my own war.” He answered, unknowingly peaking the general's interest. “Enemies that have threatened existence itself and are the ancient enemies of the Shinigami. A grudge of a thousand years returning to destroy existence as we know it.” Esdeath stopped gathering her energy for the spire and smiled excitedly, despite her position.

“Are there many others that are strong like you?” She asked, her desire for battle and bloodshed forcing their way to the top.

“They are definitely stronger than you, Esdeath.” The Soul Reaper replied. “While I have a physical form, I am severely limited in my power.” The ice general felt her blood boil in anticipation, any promise to Honest becoming meaningless if Ichigo could deliver that promise of such a war.

“Are you planning on recruiting me?” She asked, Ichigo turning her to face him before wrapping a hand around her throat.

“You would definitely make a good addition to our forces,” The Soul Reaper admitted, “but unlike my teacher, I refuse to tolerate a bloodthirsty sadist that is just as willing to turn on me as she would fight for me.” Ichigo's hand sparked with electricity. “So I'm going to have to break and mold you into a fitting Soul Reaper. Hado #11, Tsuzuri Raiden.” Soon, Esdeath felt thousands of volts of electricity charge through her body and began to scream in agony, feeling the worst pain of her life. The cries rang out, far and wide, and Ichigo ascended into the air with her, flying to her army. He suddenly stopped the Kido, leaving the sadist on the verge of passing out. “You've lost, and your brutal actions to civilians will no longer be tolerated.” He said, before dropping her directly above her fleeing army.

(Fleeing Army)

“I can't believe it! Is this divine punishment!? General!” Were among the many confused and fearful cries as the soldiers left their leader behind to face the god of death. Only three kept their wits about them, staying focused enough to lead the army from disarray. The Three Beasts, Esdeath's direct underlings. Former general Liver kept the army organized as they fled, Daidara did what he could to keep morale up, and Nyau played his hypnotic music to calm down the masses.

“I can't believe anyone could be stronger than lady Esdeath.” Nyau said, taking the recorder Teigu from his lips and trying to come to terms that anything could match his master. “Was that really a god? A god came down to deliver punishment? Are we next?” He felt afraid for the first time in a long time, the thought of divine punishment terrifying the sadist.

“Quiet Nyau!” Daidara growled, before he and the whole army cringed upon hearing a cry of agony. They all turned to the sky, seeing two people floating high above them. The Soul Reaper with their beloved general in his grasp, and she was screaming in pain. None of them could believe what they were hearing or seeing; that their mighty general, the strongest of the entire Empire, was at the mercy of the figure in black. Her screams finally ended as she began to fall back to the earth.

“Lady Esdeath!” Liver and many others cried out in concern as their mistress fell. “Quick, we have to catch her!” Liver ordered as the army scrambled to save their leader. Liver took his Teigu, a ring that controlled water, took all of their liquid provisions, and shot them to Esdeath with the intention of catching and slowing her descent. The rest of the military took one of the shirts of the giant among Esdeath's army and held it out to catch her. Their efforts bore fruit as Esdeath was cushioned by the water and caught in the jacket of the giant, but her body was twitching, her breathing was labored, and her heartbeat became irregular. “Medic!” Liver cried out as the doctor forced his way to the general. Several tense minutes and hours passed as the doctor worked and the army re-established their base.

“Whatever that Kurosaki fellow did, he meant to stop the general.” The doctor finally announced to the key army members. “There might be some trouble, since her heart was damaged from the fight, but she's likely to recover. Especially if we can get her to that Stylish fellow. He might be able to repair her heart.” The Three Beasts looked to each other as Liver took the lead.

“We return to the capital.” He announced. “We crushed the Northern army, as were our orders. We haven't failed our mission.” So the army began their march back to the capital, victorious over the Northern tribes but bearing the weight of defeat for their general.

(With Ichigo)

“Thank you, Shinigami.” Numa Seika said, now properly clothed and having his wounds dressed. “You have done what I was unable to do. Protect my people.” Ichigo, with the application of Kido and Reishi manipulation, created a path to freedom for the Northerners. “I pledged whatever you desired of me. Now-”

“Stop. I didn't do this to be praised or to get offerings.” Ichigo interrupted, silencing the prince. “I did it because it was the right thing to do. That would it serve to aid my plans for Esdeath was a bonus. If you want to show me your gratitude, then take your people and lead them somewhere safe. I have little doubt that the Empire would be generous enough to leave you be and I don't know if I'll be around to stop it next time.” With that, Ichigo removed his Gigai ring and faced the hundreds that were still remaining after Ichigo defeated Esdeath. The majority passed on peacefully after he defeated the general, but many refused to move on from their attachments. “I've got plenty of work to do.”

“If you are still around and don't know of it yet, might I suggest you look into the 'Crushing Mountain'.” Numa Seika offered. “No one has every reached its summit because it seems to have this oppressive weight all around it that brings anything to their knees. Sometimes worse.” With that the Northerners began to depart, searching for a new haven to call their home. Leaving Ichigo to reap the dead and wonder what might be the source of the mountain's tale.

(Back to the Capital)

It took the Soul Reaper the entire day to Konso the hundreds of dead from the battle with Esdeath and her army, all of whom either cursed Ichigo for not killing Esdeath when he had the ability to do so or damning him for harming their beloved general . His compassion was spent, sending them all to the afterlife with little care for their final wishes if all they were going to do was rage at him for his choices. He didn't even put his ring back on, staying in spirit form as he wandered about the capital, trying to think.

“Esdeath would indeed be an impressive ally, but her sadistic personality and bloodthirsty nature makes her too much of a risk.” He said, evaluating his first choice. “I doubt what I did was enough to change her, so I should do more work there. That said, she'd be a good fit for Zaraki's squad. Of Night Raid's members...” He stopped when he saw a soul with a scarred left eye, Imperial police armor, and four braided ponytails, raging about his death and clawing at his soul chain.

“You think this is the end!?” The man roared out. “You little bastard! Even if it's beyond the grave, I will kill you! I own this damn city!” He kept yelling before his chain ate itself and fell off, making him glow and explode.

“I do not have the patience for this.” Ichigo sighed while the man reformed as a Hollow, an eight foot tall red figure with an Oni mask. The Hollow, newly born and blindly mad, charged at the hybrid. The very instant the Hollow got close, he froze. Cut in twain instantly by the Soul Reaper. “I'm going to punish whoever made that guy go Hollow.” He said as the gates of Hell opened for the Hollow. “Not the first thing I wanted to get involved with when I got back.” Ichigo continued to walk, going until his feet brought him to the palace yet again. 'Hmmm, maybe if I do this I can improve Budo's situation.' He thought as he walked into the palace and searched for the child emperor. He eventually found him, enjoying a rather modest meal, with Honest stuffing his face with a giant hunk of steak with a full two layer cake for dessert.

“Don't you think you should cut back a bit on your dietary habits Prime Minister?” The young Makoto asked, cutting into his steak. “The amount you eat daily can not be healthy.” Ichigo himself walked behind the emperor and got ready to move.

“No need to worry about me your majesty.” Honest said with a smile before picking up the cake, blocking his view of the young monarch. “I take very good care of myself. I intend to live a long and happy-”

“I'm taking Makoto. Bye.” He suddenly heard, prompting him to move the pastry. Unfortunately, the emperor was gone. Outside the palace, Makoto was dealing with vertigo from the very sudden movements that now put him floating in the air but held safe in Ichigo's arms. “You alright kid?”

“Ichigo Kurosaki!?” The emperor shouted in shock. “What's going on here!?”

“I'm kidnapping you.” The Soul Reaper said very bluntly. “Budo was supposed to show you the state of the capital, but that fatass is breathing down his neck. Honest doesn't want you to see how the empire really is.”

“But why?” He asked. “What's wrong with me knowing the state of the kingdom?”

“Because then you might think for yourself.” Ichigo said, the young ruler looking to the death god as he began his little trip around the capital.

(With Esdeath)

The icy general rode on her steed, a mighty dragon-type danger beast, as her army marched back to the capital. A sense of defeat hung over them and moral was never lower for her troops, all linked to her. She was their unbeatable general, their unbroken pillar of strength, and she was crushed by one man. A man she openly declared was a god, so many took that as the heavens themselves deciding to punish her. But the worst of it was the news from her army doctor, a man she trusted and relied on with the lives of her troops, when he told her of the damage Ichigo did to her. Even if they lied, she could feel the damaged muscle in her chest as it ached every now and then.

'So besting him in combat isn't an option, that much is now evident.' She thought as she began to strategize a plan B. 'He's made it clear that he has far more power than I thought, so I'll need to move with a different angle. He always says a number along with that Hado and Bakudo before casting what seems to be magic, meaning that he has many different kinds of whatever those attacks are. He's fast, meaning I'll have to get faster or somehow slow him down. And he's made it clear that if I want to let my army enjoy their spoils of war, he'll....' She froze before smiling, thinking she found a way to make the Soul Reaper act on her terms. At least for a little while. But first things first, she needed to deal with her heart problem. Luckily, there was a doctor in the empire's employ that likely had just the thing for her.

(With Makoto)

The return to the palace was quiet, Makoto having cried enough after seeing what little Ichigo had to show, was tired. The emperor saw the poor, the desperate, those that took advantage of others, a few instances of bribery, those that faced a slow public execution, all in the more densely populated areas of the capital city. He almost couldn't believe the Soul Reaper when he said that it was worse then what he already saw. Why did the Prime Minister keep all this from him, keep him sequestered in that palace?

'Because you might think for yourself.' The words of the Shinigami rang in his mind as he remembered that line. Anytime he ordered an execution or imprisonment, someone was criticizing or slowing down something of the empire that Honest approved of. There were so many people starving, selling their bodies for food and drugs, and the Prime Minister was always eating something. Was Makoto even the actual leader, or was Ichigo right and he was a figurehead? Ichigo brought him back to his room in the palace, easily getting into the royal bedchambers, with the thunderous sound of footsteps telling the pair that the royal guard were searching frantically.

“What should I do?” Makoto asked, thinking it'd be best to let everyone know he's fine but stopping in front of the door. “I don't know who to trust anymore.”

“You do what Honest never wanted you to,” Ichigo answered, “think for yourself. You've got to make your own decisions, listen to your people, and choose was you think is right for your country. However, at the same time, you should probably play along with Honest. Let him think you're still his puppet but slowly drift from his control. I'd recommend having Budo near you, he's still loyal to the empire and your safety is his top priority.” Makoto looked to the Shinigami, who gave the child an encouraging smile. “I felt it in his fists.” He said before disappearing, leaving Makoto alone.

“Okay.” He said, taking a deep breath. “Let's do this.” He pushed the door open, getting the guards attention as they proceeded to ensure his good condition. “Take me to the Great General, I have some questions for him.” The guards complied as they escorted the boy to the throne room, where Honest and Budo were arguing.

“The palace's defense is your responsibility! How did this happen!?” Honest demanded, tearing into a huge chunk of meat. Budo was not intimidated, rather annoyed.

“Someone decided to try to take command of my forces and waste time and resources to essentially watch and force me to always look over my shoulder.” He countered. “Maybe if that someone would let me do my job, that person wouldn't have had the emperor taken while he was stuffing his fat face!”

“Enough!” Makoto yelled out, thinking about what a strong ruler was like and imaging that on himself. “Budo, what's this about you being unable to perform your duties as head of the guard?” Budo stepped forward and knelt before the emperor.

“Forgive me, my emperor.” The lightning user started. “But it's been getting a little hard to focus on my duty when I'm under constant watch myself. I can't effectively command the guards because I don't know how many are waiting to stab me in the back.” He said while giving a pointed glare to Honest, who was putting on his best face for the young lord.

“You were brought to us, defeated by that Ichigo Kurosaki fellow.” The Prime Minister argued. “This is the palace and the emperor himself, we can't afford to have a Great General that's incapable of the task of keeping either safe.”

“Prime Minister? Are you a general?” Makoto suddenly asked, surprising the two adults. “Did you get your position because you are a brilliant military soldier? I believe that Budo is and has been the head of the imperial guard AND the much relied on Great General from my father's time.” Budo had to force down a smirk, knowing that a certain Soul Reaper had worked his magic. “Let the general do his job, while you focus on yours. Budo?” He turned to the still kneeling general. “From now on, the Imperial guard will answer to you and I as the top authorities. I give you full permission to recruit, fire, and imprison as you see fit among your ranks. Now if the two of you will excuse me, I'm going to bed.” He said, heading for his room. The moment he entered and shut the door, his hand went to his racing heart. “Do not back down, think for yourself.” He repeated, changing for a night of rest... hopefully.

(Illustrated Guide to Assassination)

Tatsumi Afraid

The fresh and young assassin had just finished his report to the rest of Night raid, getting stripped and searched by Akame, Leone, and Najenda shortly after for any wounds he might have hidden, and was feeling pretty confident with himself and his accomplishment. Then he started shivering for reasons unknown to him, but he was confident that it had nothing to do with the drafty air, that he was now to be trained by Mine, or that Bulat was checking him out.

Ichigo Tired

The Soul Reaper finally returned to the Night Raid base, feeling drained and exhausted from the entire day of fighting, reaping, and doing his own version of the Ghost of Christmas Present for the child emperor. He made his way inside the base, looking to claim a bed and just sleep off everything he dealt with that day. That's when Tatsumi ran up to him excitedly.

“Hey Ichigo! I had my first mission. This captain of the Imperial Guard that was taking bribes and sentenced innocent people to death.” He said, making Ichigo's eye twitch. “I bet he went to-” He didn't even finish as Ichigo backfisted him into a wall.

“I'm going to bed.” Was the only thing the Soul Reaper said after punching the green eyed assassin.


	5. Hail to the King

(With Ichigo)

The Soul Reaper spent an entire day searching for any information he could on the mountain Numa Seika told him about. The information he learned in the Imperial Library is that it was the one place the first Emperor was unable to conquer, seeking the power in the mountain to create a Teigu with power over gravity. A lone mountain on the fringe of the Empire with a crushing weight of gravity denying anyone to claim it, no flora or fauna anywhere on it. Some people even began worshiping the mountain as some kind of god. Well, the hybrid was also here to study. Maybe he could learn to create a new Kido using the mountain's unique properties as a base. Those thoughts changed the moment he set foot within the gravity radius.

'This isn't just gravity.' Ichigo thought as he felt the physical weight of gravity on his being, but there was something else that was scaring off all the animals. 'This is Reiatsu. Hollow Reiatsu.' It was the first time he felt Hollow Reishi of this magnitude since coming to this world. “Well, it's been a while since I tangled with a Menos Grande.” The hybrid smiled, the Hollow nature within him eager for a more appropriate challenge. Releasing his own power, the oppressive weight of the mountain faded. It was not stronger than Ichibe's palace in the Royal Realm and no Reiatsu less than that of a transcendent being would make the hybrid bow. “Let's fish you out, Menos.”

In an instant, Ichigo flashed to the mountain's summit and scanned for either an entrance or to pinpoint where inside the mountain the Hollow was hiding. He found no clear entrance at the summit, but he did find where inside the mountain his quarry was. Encasing his fist in Reishi, Ichigo shot Balas into the heart of the mountain. One after another, digging a widening hole in the mountain until it reached his target. He stopped as the Hollow began to stir, instead throwing down a Kido rope.

“Bakudo #4, Hainawa.” He chanted, shooting down the rope and soon lassoing the Menos. The moment he felt it latch on, he pulled and pulled, forcing the Hollow to the surface. It didn't take long to tear the soul from his resting place as he exploded out of the ground. “Vasto Lorde.” Ichigo said, finally seeing the Hollow as it slowly stood back up.

“You ruined my nap.” He growled, facing Ichigo. He was lean and muscular with long, spiky, dark orange hair, tanned skin, and black fur with a skeletal tail and saber-tooth tiger skull mask. “Huh? What's a Soul Reaper doing here? I came here to get away from boring fights.” Ichigo kept his focus on the Menos, sensing that he was roughly around Starrk's level already.

“I'm here to be a Soul Reaper, study the world, gather anything and anyone that might be useful.” Ichigo responded, clenching his hands in anticipation for a possible fight. “We are in need of soldiers and I could use some extra hands in quelling Hollows and reaping souls. You in or are we going to have to get sweaty?” He asked, evidently surprising the Vasto Lorde.

“Last I've heard, you Shinigami kill first and don't ask questions.” The Hollow returned. “Why bother recruiting Hollows?”

“War is coming, war with the Quincy.” There was a nod of understanding. “Soul Society has undergone many changes. One of the main is that Hollows made into Arrancar are welcomed among our ranks. Hollows with the powers of Soul Reapers.” Ichigo explained before the tiger could ask. “Come to my side, put your power to good use.”

“And why should I join you?” He asked before looking on in shock as a horned Hollow mask materialized on Ichigo's face.

“I am Ichigo Kurosaki, future Captain Commander of the Court Guard Squads of Soul Society and the king of Hueco Mundo.” The hybrid declared, making the Vasto Lorde grin in anticipation. “You can either chose to join me, or I will force your obedience like a proper Hollow.”

“If you really believe in the second option, then you should understand.” The Menos flexed his claws, shining blue in the rays of the sun. “I refuse to kneel before anyone weaker than me!” He appeared in front of Ichigo, throwing a kick at the hybrid's head. The hybrid blocked the attack effortlessly, but he didn't see the tiger's tail coming until after it stabbed into his chest. It failed to pierce his skin, but it did knock the wind out of him. Before the Menos could retract the skeletal appendage, Ichigo grabbed hold of it and slammed him into the ground a few times before throwing him away.

“How do you think I became king of the Hollows?” Ichigo growled before flashing in front of the Menos. “Using my charisma?” Then the gravity became much heavier, making Ichigo pause in shock as he nearly buckled under the sudden change. The Hollow twisted and tried to kick Ichigo in the head again, but the hybrid blocked and caught him by the ankle. “I'm used to far heavier than this.” Ichigo said, raising his foot to stomp down on the Hollow's face. He managed to counter with a sudden turquoise colored Cero fired straight from his mouth and into Ichigo face, causing him to release his opponent's ankle. The Hollow swiftly got to his feet and charged forward with a sudden punch to Ichigo's stomach, the results were different than what he expected.

“Gah! What are you made of?” He asked, nursing his bruised knuckles before Ichigo dropped a hammer blow to the top of his head and dazed him. Ichigo then got the Hollow in a headlock and fell back to slam his skull into the earth, only to start floating in the air. “My control over gravity works both ways.” He said before twisting and increasing the gravity to slam Ichigo's head into the ground, then quickly backed away. “In all the thousands of years I've been alive, I was hoping the 'king' would've been able to give me a proper fight.” He grinned in delight as Ichigo rose to his feet once again and disappeared from sight.

“Please, I've haven't even broken a sweat.” Ichigo said, appearing behind the Vasto Lorde. Before the Hollow could fully turn, Ichigo slammed a fist into the masked face of the Hollow. The force of the blow fractured the Hollow's mask and cratered the ground of the mountain. The Menos attempted to push himself back up, only to have another punch to his spine force him back down. Before Ichigo could continue that assault, he felt the gravity change as he began to float. The Hollow managed to push himself to his hands and knees, only to feel Ichigo slam him back into the ground. “Had enough?” He asked, using a Reishi construct to push him back to the ground and crush the Hollow.

“Sleeping must've dulled my abilities more than I thought.” The Vasto Lorde admitted, muffled from his face being buried in the dirt. “Probably what I get for not fighting for... I can't even remember how long I've slept.”

“Especially since you haven't even gotten past phase fist.” Ichigo told him, stepping off his head and walking some distance away. “I can sense that you're as strong as the one I appointed as the Guardian of the Arrancar. But you've yet to actually prove you can fight him, let alone entertain me. So, we're ending this.” Ichigo turned to watch his opponent rise to his feet, stumbling as the pain caught up to him. “We'll end this with one last move. Try to survive.” He said, grasping Zangetsu by the sheath.

“Well then, if I do, the name's Marik. Marik Muyomori.” The Vasto Lorde said as a black orb appeared in his hand. He then threw it at Ichigo, who thrust the end of Zangetsu at him. The ball blew apart and Marik lost a chunk of his left side, coughing up blood before collapsing.

“My Onibi still needs some work.” Ichigo said, rubbing his arm from using the technique as he made his way to Marik. “Let's see, fractured ribs, damaged spine, a few cracks in the skull,” Ichigo never mastered his healing Kido but physical health was one thing all of his teachers made sure he learned, “missing parts of his intestines, left lung, stomach, kidney is gone. Good thing I have that Reishi printer.” He said as Marik began healing what parts of his body could regenerate. 'That last move of his was like a compressed ball of gravity. Managed to curve my attack enough to avoid killing him.'

“Well?” He suddenly said, waking up and coughing out some more blood. “What do you think?” Ichigo grabbed him by the back of the neck and hoisted him to eye level.

“I think I just kicked your ass.” Ichigo then put him in another headlock and began dragging him away. “And I expect you to follow my orders from now on. When you fully recover and are back to peak condition, I want a rematch. I'm not yet satisfied.” Marik managed to chuckle while trying to keep up.

“By your command... my king.”

(Back at the Capital)

“That was.... odd.” Ichigo said as he returned to the city. To make a long a complicated story simple; he brought Marik to the underground base, used the Hollow's own Reishi to clone a new kidney, the drain of which knocked him out, and Ichigo spent the rest of the day and most of the next studying and performing the transplant surgery on Marik, who is now sleeping comfortably under a large pile of rocks. “Thank god I know how to translate Urahara's notes now. Otherwise I'd never be able to pull off even half of the technical crap I'm doing.” He mused while making his patrol, finding many more souls than usual. “What the hell did I miss?” The Soul Reaper asked after performing twenty Konso in half an hour, his answer coming in a cry of anguish.

“NO~!” He heard someone cry, immediately flashing to the new location. He found Tatsumi and Akame with a corpse of a man whose throat was slash while his soul was grasping at his ears. He had wild blonde hair, wore a dress shirt and tie with shoulder pads, and had the usual soul chain connected to his chest. “I'm dead! Why have the voices returned!? WHY!?!” He begged.

“Now you should be wary Zank.” Akame said, speaking aloud without bothering to look for a spirit she couldn't see. “Now you will face the judgment of the Shinigami.” Then she and Tatsumi left, the boy bowing his head in slight prayer. Zank looked around until he found Ichigo, running at the Soul Reaper before dropping to his knees.

“God of Death, I beg you!” He cried out, bowing before Ichigo... and confusing the hell out of the teen. “In life, I was an executioner. I thought it was the only way I could be of any service to anyone, killing the guilty for their crimes. But, I've executed so many people proclaiming their innocence, I've begun to hear them all the time! Begging me for mercy, telling me that they've done nothing wrong, over and over! I just snapped and killed anyone, did anything I could to stop them! I'm sorry! I'm sorry to all of them! I can't take it anymore! I'll dive into Hell itself and take all of damnation's punishment! Just please silence them!” He cried out, tears pouring from his eyes. Ichigo reached down and lifted the man's chin.

“Are you sure?” He asked the murderer. “Are you sure that you'll take on all of their pain to repent for your crimes?”

“I... I just wanted the voices to stop.” Zank admitted. “I'll face my punishment. Just let them pass on peacefully.” He begged before closing his eyes, Ichigo performing the Konso. As he did so, the voice of Yamamoto spoke in his mind.

“No soul ever escapes the fate of their judgment Ichigo.” He heard the old man say as the mark he stamped on Zank began to glow, shifting from blue to red rapidly. “It is not in their actions, but their intent that is judged. Those that act out of purely selfish desire, the pleasure of self indulgence no matter the suffering it brings, they will suffer for eternity. But those that repent, truly repent for their crimes, there is forgiveness.” The light settled on blue as Zank faded into the purifying light, tears falling down his face.

“They've stopped.” He said before disappearing for the cycle of Rebirth.

(Back at Night Raid's base: One day later)

“Feeling better?” Ichigo asked Marik, kicking the pile of rocks off of the Vasto Lorde. The tiger released a long yawn as he rose to his feet.

“I'm not going to get anymore peaceful sleep under your command, am I?” He asked, some measure of regret coloring his tone. The look from his king was all the answer he needed. “Understood, and yes. I'm feeling much better.” He admitted.

“Good, then it's time we turn you into an Arrancar.” Ichigo said, heading over to his tech station and accessing all the knowledge it had on Arrancar. “Now if I had the Hogyoku with me, it should be a simple matter of willing it to happen. But I don't... so we need to try something else.” He typed away, analyzing all the data he had and settling on the one Arrancar they knew that formed without the power of the Hogyoku. Coyote Starrk.

“And how are we going to do this?” Marik asked, looking over Ichigo's shoulder. “Do what this guy did?”

“Starrk had the unique power to separate his soul into another being.” The hybrid returned. “As of yet, the researchers in the R&D department are still studying it with limited answers. For now, let's try giving you Soul Reaper abilities.” Ichigo stood up and unsheathed Zangetsu, immediately diving into his inner world.

(Ichigo's Inner World)

“Do you think this is actually going to work?” Zangetsu, a photo-negative version of Ichigo, asked as Ichigo appeared in the sideways city, every surface rippling like water with every step on it. “You'll be sacrificing a sword to do this.”

“They have no personality or freedom anyway.” Kyoka Suigetsu, a female version of Aizen, rose from the glass windows and took a place by Ichigo's side. “It's no different than cutting a nail to this boy.”

“Besides, how else can I create more Soul Reapers and Arrancar?” Ichigo asked of his main Zanpakuto spirit. Zangetsu sighed as a katana formed in his hands, black and white Reishi bleeding away and being reabsorbed into the sword spirit.

“It'll feel just like that time when you used Mugetsu.” He warned before Ichigo left his inner world.

(Back Outside)

“There it is!” Ichigo grunted out, feeling a part of his soul separate from himself, while a completely blank Zanpakuto formed in his other hand. “That should do it.” Marik took gentle hold of his king's shoulder's as the disorientation of the act caught up to the teen. “I'm fine now, Marik.” He told the Vasto Lorde returning to stand tall and dignified before presenting the sword to his latest vassal. “Take this blade, mix your Reishi into it, let it become part of you, and evolve into an Arrancar.”

“Yes, my king.” Marik said, taking the sword into his hands and began pouring his Reishi into it. Ichigo watched as the process began, strong winds blowing out as the sword began absorbing his Reishi, taking his Hollow form, leaving him bare of his fur and his mask reduced to the saber-tooth fangs on his cheeks. The sword itself began to change into a duel bladed naginata glaive. Then the pair began to glow.

'Come on. Work.' Ichigo thought, demanding and hoping the process would result in a success. There was a bright flash, revealing that Marik was now in a full body cast of the same material as a Hollow mask. Ichigo walked up to the statue and placed his hand upon it, feeling out the Reishi. “Well, guess all that's left is to let you stabilize as a new Arrancar.” He said, leaving the soon to be evolved Hollow to undergo his change... after setting up a couple of scanners and a camera. Hey, he needed data.

(Illustrated Guide to Assassination)

Leone's failed seduction

“So, is there anything special you can share with us?” Leone asked, hugging the Soul Reaper from behind and purposefully rubbing her chest against him. 'Boss said that the higher ups wanted us to either recruit or kill him, but getting information should be enough. He does seem like he can go wherever he wants and has made a few trips to the palace if certain intel can be believed.' She thought as she continued to rub her assets against him.... and getting no reaction. “I mean, any information that can help us spare that young emperor you're so keen on having us let live. Right?” She said, moving in front and bending over to show off her cleavage.

“I'll let his actions speak for him Leone.” Ichigo said, not even looking up from his book and the various Danger Beasts in the world. “Also, I've seen bigger and better.” He told her, and Leone felt her confidence shatter.

Tatsumi's Love Life Begins

“Wha the hell doesh he mean 'bigger an better'!?” Leone yelled out, clearly drunk and rambling to the others about her failure with Ichigo. “Aren't I shexy?!”

“Well, we don't know who he spends time with.” Bulat reasoned while Leone chugged another pint. “It's entirely possible he's met with a love goddess or even has beautiful women sacrifices he took as his brides. Who are we to question god like beings?”

“Are you shaying I'm not good enough to be his bitch!?” Leone demanded from her teammate. “Yoush gay anyway, sho what do you know!?”

“Well I still think you're sexy Leone!” Lubbock declared without shame.

“Yeah, whatever... pervert.” The lion girl immediately dismissed.

“Well... I still think you're beautiful big sis.” Tatsumi admitted, looking embarrassed but happy to say it.

“Oh Tatshumi! You're sho *hic* shweet!” She cried, hugging the boy into her boobs.

“Why does he get a face full of that rack!?” Lubbock demanded.


	6. Cutting Strings

(With Esdeath)

Normally she'd be a picture of power and grace, normally she'd let her soldiers indulge in their primal wants and desires after conquering a nation or village, normally she'd present herself in that perfect standard of the strongest in the Empire after returning to the Capital after such a victory, and normally she'd go through the torture chambers to indulge in the screams of the weak. Things that were once normal were quickly fading ever since that Soul Reaper appeared. She still held herself to the same grace, as was expected of her, when she marched through the streets of the Capital with her dragon and Three Beasts but immediately made her way to the castle to give her report.

“You look like shit.” Budo said, being the one inside the castle walls to give the icy general her welcome. “Were the northern tribes stronger than you expected?” He taunted as Esdeath chose to ignore him, electing to make her way into the throne room, where the Prime Minister and the Emperor waited. When she finally arrived, she noticed that the Emperor seemed to have a different air about him. She said nothing but continued to observe before kneeling before the monarch. Seeing the Prime Minister seem a bit more agitated than usual helped her conclude that Honest may be losing control of many things. Likely Ichigo was to blame, he even said that Budo told him about her sadistic nature.

“Welcome back General Esdeath.” Makoto greeted, his usual tone that was ingrained in him to hold when dealing with matters of state. “You're conquest of the North was excellent and will be rewarded with ten-thousand gold pieces. Though, I'm somewhat concerned with the news that your army is on the march back. Care to explain?”

“The enemy army was utterly crushed and not a single soldier was left alive.” She answered. “Shortly after that, the Soul Reaper appeared and tested my strength. There were... casualties and I did not have the military force left to keep hold of the territory.” Not a lie, but not the whole truth. He knew she was effective and thorough, he didn't need to know of her sadistic tendencies.

“My lord, this requires action!” Honest cried out. “If what the general says is true, then Ichigo has broken his word on his neutrality. What's to stop him from siding with the rebels or strike at any of us!?”

“I agree with Honest.” Budo spoke up. “With Esdeath's army cut to size, and her own condition, the military might of the Empire has taken considerable damage.” Honest and Esdeath both glared at the military leader, but said nothing in the presence of the Emperor.

“Her own condition? Are you badly injured general?” Makoto asked, genuinely concerned for the woman.

“My fight with Ichigo Kurosaki has left a lasting injury that my medics insist I get looked at by one of the palace doctors.” Esdeath answered, tensing up after another cardiac episode before starting to wheeze from the pain. “I felt that making my report was more important to the morale of the soldiers and people than to see me displaying any sort of weakness.” She admitted before standing up to alleviate the pain to her damaged heart and lungs.

“Unacceptable!” Makoto yelled out, standing from his throne. “While in this time of crisis, you are expected to keep in good health general Esdeath. I order you to see our top doctors and get this fixed. I have need of you to deal with this Night Raid epidemic. Those assassins have been causing us no end of grief.” Honest had a smug smirk, Budo seemed to be patiently waiting.

“Understood your majesty.” Esdeath said, bowing to the emperor as he sat back down. “However, I've heard that this group has many Teigu users and would like to request Teigu users for my own force to combat them.”

“Anything less than a Teigu would only result in failure in this endeavor your majesty.” Budo chimed in. “If anyone can handle this Night Raid group, it would be her. You can trust her judgment.” Makoto seemed to ponder the words of the generals, Honest gnashing his teeth silently while glaring at the lightning user.

“If you say so, Budo.” The young emperor finally said. “Honest. I'll leave the matter of gathering Esdeath's Teigu users to you.” Honest forced himself to put his gentle mask back on and was ready to say something, but never got the chance to. “Budo, I request you set up your own investigative team. Try to find anything that connects the victims together and bring that information to us.” The ice general was shocked, the change in the air of the palace now explained. Honest's careful control of the capital seemed to be falling apart.

(With Ichigo)

“I've been in this world for almost two months,” Ichigo said aloud as he typed away at his computer and keeping his journal audio logs, “and I've only just recently begun the secondary aspects of my being here; recruitment and study of the discoveries of this realm.” He turned to the calcified statue of the new Arrancar. “First actual recruit is a Vasto Lorde, turning Arrancar, named Marik Muyomori. Special abilities involve gravity manipulation, will work on training those skills and development to improve.” He typed away a command on the keys and deactivated a scanner, revealing the green eye of the Teigu, Spectator.

“Second, I've begun my full analysis into this world's ultimate weapons: Teigu.” He grabbed the eye based tool and looked deep into its emerald gaze. “48 of these were in existence, with half being destroyed in a previous civil war, and the remaining 24 being used in the current civil war. The abilities of the Teigu are quite varied, some control elements, some are armor, some are support types, and a general rule in this world seems to be 'only a Teigu user can fight another Teigu user'. I've seen eight Teigu in action, with a few proving to be useful. The Teigu, Spectator, is a very dangerous one in the right hands as it pushes the power of 'sight' to its maximum. Abilities include seeing great distances, seeing through objects, seeing into people's minds, allowing some measure of precognition, and controlling what someone sees. Aizen has displayed how dangerous such a power can be, but the power of a Teigu requires compatibility.” He said before putting the Teigu down.

“I've analyzed the other Teigu among the group, 'Night Raid', and am convinced that some can be replicated, but others require more samples to study. Maybe Teigu can be used to empower the Modsouls in Project Spearhead, but require more testing.” Ichigo then sensed someone entering his underground facility. “The Reishi printer proves to be invaluable to my needs, easily creating anything I need so long as I can visualize it and can supply the Reishi necessary. The latest creation is a device Ulquiorra revealed to me that Aizen invented, a bracelet that covers one in a shell of spirit energy that makes one invisible to anyone but the creatures that supplied the Reishi to make it. In this case, only I can sense whoever wears this bracelet. It also allows for intangibility at will, making it a perfect stealth tool for this world. However, I feel more tests should be done.” Ichigo said before suddenly reaching out and grabbing Lubbock by the arm.

“AHH that hurts!” The green haired pervert cried out as Ichigo squeezed on the arm and removed the bracelet from the assassin's wrist.

“End log.” The hybrid said before closing the audio logs and turning back to Lubbock. “So, how was the test?” The string user grinned as Ichigo released him.

“It was amazing!” He exclaimed, clearly very impressed. “This is definitely on par with a Teigu. I spent the whole day using it, and no one ever noticed me. I even got to spy on all the girls in the group!” Lubbock got a nosebleed. “Leone's luscious curves, Sheele's elegant bod, Akame's toned form, I saw it all! It was glorious! Except for the boss, I respect her too much to peep on her.” He said, Ichigo nodding along and recording the data, knowing that Lubbock's going to HATE him later. “With these, we could-”

“Stopping you there, the answer is no.” Ichigo said, quickly shooting down the request before Lubbock could really ask it. “I didn't make this to give you guys an edge. I will repeat this Lubbock; I'm not on your side, I'm not on the empire's side, I'm on my side, the side with the least number of innocent people dying. Not helping assassins or a tyrannical government. This is for me to use as I see fit.”

“But what's the point?” The string user asked. “Once you go spirit, you're invisible to the world. Why would you need this?”

“That's for me to know.” The hybrid said, pocketing the bracelet for later while returning the eye Teigu. “Now get out. I've still got things I need to do.” He returned to his computer, typing away and recording more data before grabbing onto the thread of the Teigu 'Cross Tail' that Lubbock had around the bracelet the instant it began to move. “I'm not an idiot Lubbock!” He called out, severing the string with a single slash of his Zanpakuto, followed by the pervert cursing and hurriedly running away. “Idiot.” Ichigo whispered as he ensured that the Reimaku bracelet was in fact in his possession, releasing a Pesquisa pulse to finalize that it was there.

“Good, he stayed inside the base.” He said before placing the thread into the scanner, but before he could pay any attention to the data he was receiving from the Teigu, Marik's shell began to crack. “That took long enough.” The Soul Reaper sighed, setting his computer to the Reishi printer and began printing out white fabric. With that done, he walked over to his soon to be Arrancar as the cracks continued to spread until the white shell exploded, leaving a naked Marik kneeling on the ground and his duel blade Naginata in front of him. “Do you remember who you are?” Ichigo asked.

“Yes, my lord.” Marik answered, grabbing his blade and pushing himself up. “I am Marik Muyomori, Arrancar knight to the king of Hueco Mundo, Ichigo Kurosaki.” He stood to his full height, tall and strong with a tiger tattoo appearing on his left side. “I am ready to serve you my king.”

“Good. We'll discuss what to do later. For now... get dressed.” Ichigo ordered, pointing to the hundred feet of white cloth and sewing kits. “I'm heading out, wait for my return.” He said before flashing away to reap the dead.

(In the palace)

Hours had passed and the day once more gave way to night, bathing the world in a crimson glow before the streets became alighted with the night life of the capital. The number of spirits occupying the city was nearing more manageable levels, having his intense speed was always helpful, but it was just one city and the number of people dying hasn't declined enough in his opinion. He needed more help, more Shinigami. He'd have Marik assist, but he still doesn't know the results of that experiment Mayuri and Urahara were working on. The only other option was to recruit a soul with the potential of being a Soul Reaper, then train them to become Soul Reapers.

“The question is who it could be.” Ichigo asked himself, entering the palace with impunity yet again. Easy to infiltrate when there is literally no way to stop him. The closest thing he found to empowered humans were those with Teigu, and there were not enough Teigu in the world to mount a defense against spirits. He stopped in his tracks as he noticed a familiar icy presence in the area. “Guess Esdeath finally made it back.” The hybrid mused as he made his way through the palace.

“I've assembled my team and they are starting with those that Night Raid have already killed recently my lord.” Budo said as Ichigo came upon a trio of him, Makoto, and Honest, with the young emperor heading for his bedroom. “They began their search with a wealthy family when people began noting some retched odors on the property, finding a warehouse full of corpses. All of the victims appeared to have been tortured to death.”

“And this was happening directly under our noses?!” Makoto demanded, sounding furious.

“Many things are slipping under the cracks my lord.” Honest said, masking his agitation. “The rebellion is distracting us all and they knew how to cover their tracks, I would assume.”

“Maybe I should decree surprise searches among the upper class citizens.” The emperor contemplated. “See if any more dirty secrets are in the works.”

“I must advise against it your majesty.” Honest voiced. “One case does not set the standard. Such an act might encourage discontent.”

“I agree. Wait until further evidence is obtained your majesty.” Budo told his lord. “Rest assured, we will protect this nation.” Makoto smiled gratefully before shutting the door. Honest and Budo went their separate ways and Ichigo phased right through that door.

“Look at you,” Ichigo said after putting on his Gigai ring, “acting like a proper Emperor now.” Makoto jumped as Ichigo came in, but sighed in relief at the sight of the Shinigami. “You've definitely made a lot of progress from the naïve little puppet I first met.”

“Not enough progress.” The emperor argued back. “I'd like to start projects to help the common people, but even Budo advised against it. Said to hold off until any threats to such policies have been dealt with. Narcotics and any organized crime group that may take advantage of the situation.” It did make sense, ensure the country and people were safe before anything else. What good was food or medicine if they could easily be stolen and replaced with drugs? “So, are we going on another tour of the capital?” Makoto asked, bracing himself for more of the rotten city that was his home.

“Something similar actually.” Ichigo said, fishing out the Reimaku bracelet. “Put this on.” He ordered, letting the child slip the silver band onto his wrist. “So long as you wear that, you are invisible to the world. Only I can see and hear you and there are no barriers that can stop you.” Ichigo pointed to the door. “Try it.” Makoto took a breath, walked up to the door, placed his hand on it, and sank through like it was not even there.

“Wow! That was amazing.” He said, muffled by the wall between them. Ichigo removed his Gigai ring and followed after the monarch, who was phasing through walls and being unnoticed by the guards. “Ichigo! This is more impressive than any Teigu I've seen!” He cheered, running up to the Soul Reaper and taking his hand. “Can I keep it!?” The emperor begged, holding on to and seeing Ichigo despite him being in spirit form.

'This requires further study.' The hybrid thought before kneeling before Makoto. “No Makoto, I should hold on to it when you're not using it.” The kid looked sad, but seemed to start catching on.

“To keep it out of dangerous hands, right?” Ichigo smiled and nodded, proud that the boy was growing into his own. “Okay.... So what was it that you wanted to show me?”

“Let's go see Honest without the mask he wears around you.” The emperor nodded and began leading Ichigo through the castle, listening to the staff and searching for the fatass that was the Prime Minister. They heard someone say that he was visiting with General Esdeath and began making their way to the hospital wing of the palace. It didn't take the pair long before they found their quarry, Esdeath in a hospital bed with a near invisible scar on her chest and Honest sitting at her bedside.

“-didn't think that he'd care so much.” The Prime Minister said when they got into earshot. “In retrospect, we should've expected that he'd be stronger than what we saw. 'God' is still in his title, even if he prefers Soul Reaper. Still, to cause you so much damage.” He whispered, rubbing his beard in contemplation. “If we could get any kind of sample of him, we could find something that could quell him.”

“If you can secure such a sample for yourself, you're welcome to try.” Esdeath returned, scratching at her nearly invisible scar and staring directly at Ichigo. “But, I doubt you'd be capable of succeeding there. You'd never know if Death is watching.” Ichigo's eyes narrowed at the ice user, reminding himself how sharp her instincts were and wondering why she wasn't saying anything about him being there. “He could be making frequent trips here to talk to the emperor. He doesn't seem as mindless as you'd like him to be.” She sent a smirk to Honest, who growled in irritation.

“That brat is getting annoying independent, I didn't spend all this time to lose control this easily.” He admitted, frowning all the while. “And now Budo is actually doing something about this instead of focusing on the rebellion. I may have to frame Budo for treason. He might be supplying information to our enemies so it might work.” Makoto had a look of betrayal on his face as he listened, both he and Ichigo remaining silent as the exchange continued.

“I doubt him telling Ichigo about my habits counts as treason.” Esdeath said, despite Honest not paying attention.

“And if worse comes to worse, I'll just poison that brat.” Makoto felt his heart break. “Have to be more careful than when I killed his parents. Children are just so fragile, I might kill him by accident. Need him to be the puppet I want.”

“YOU FAT BASTARD!” Makoto screeched, charging at Honest before Ichigo pulled him back. “Let me go Ichigo!”

“Quiet!” The hybrid roared, instilling fear into the boy with the gravity of his presence. “There may be more and you must learn to control your emotions.” Makoto growled furiously as they continued to watch.

“By the way, I need you to make some people 'disappear'.” Honest told the general. “They may threaten my ruling here if they manage to come.”

“Very well,” Esdeath agreed, “I'll see what I can do. In exchange, I want to organize a tournament.” Honest looked at her questioningly. “My latest scheme to get Ichigo to come to me. Fighting him backfired, so I'll hold the audience hostage. In exchange for their safety, he'll do something for me.” Both smiled sadistically before Esdeath frowned. “I'll repeat this Honest. Trying to secure any kind of sample off of him will be your responsibility. I want something else from the Soul Reaper.” Honest's smile faded into a frown and glare, but he agreed and left. Ichigo released the child monarch, who was shaking furiously.

“This is the face of corruption.” Ichigo said, before Makoto ran off. Ichigo easily followed the emperor as they phased through walls until reaching Budo's private study, where the kid pulled off the bracelet.

“General Budo!” Makoto shouted, surprising the general as his master appeared literally out of thin air. “I want Honest arrested and executed for high treason!” Ichigo appeared in the room himself, putting on his Gigai ring.

“I'd be happy to do so my lord, but what brought this on?” Budo asked, already accepting what was happening because Ichigo was involved.

“He murdered my parents, plans to frame you for treason, and plans to poison me!” The emperor growled out.

“We watched Honest while invisible.” Ichigo quickly explained, Budo merely nodding in understanding. Any time away from Makoto to watch the Prime Minister show his true colors was enough to justify the child's actions. It took all of Budo's power to keep his own emotions under control as he knelt before his leader.

“Your Highness, I would be glad to have him arrested and executed for his actions, but forgive me for this.” He said while Makoto looked furious at the thought of Budo betraying him too. “Do you have any evidence?”

“Evidence!? I don't need evidence!” The kid roared. “I'm the Emperor! If I want him dead, your only concern is killing him!”

“Then you're not any different from him.” Ichigo suddenly said, shocking Makoto with the accusation. “Doing things like that, 'because I said so', is no different than how Honest is doing things. You need to gather evidence to justify your claims, that's what separates just kings from tyrants. You want to be a proper king, yes?” Makoto nodded, tears falling down his face from the thought of just how much he must have failed his people. “Then you need to do things the right way. Budo will gather the evidence for you, when that is done then you may have him face his judgment.” Makoto reluctantly nodded as Ichigo slipped the bracelet back on and took the Emperor back to his room. He had faced enough for today.

(Days later)

Ichigo wished he could say that the end of the Empire's corruption was within sight, wished that there would be substantially fewer deaths all around, unfortunately for him and those involved it wasn't to be. Mainly because Honest knew how to cover his tracks and, without reasonable evidence, they couldn't sanction more in-depth searches. Makoto seemed to be getting smarter, much to Ichigo and Budo's pleasure and Honest's chagrin, by keeping Esdeath and her Three Beasts in the capital to recruit and train new soldiers to join her army and they had to stick around until the recruits were satisfactory with Budo and Esdeath as judges. During that time, Budo made a list of possible targets that he gave to Ichigo, who gave it to Najenda, to give to the Rebellion leaders, on orders of the Emperor. Not that the rebels knew all the details and were just happy for the intel. Ichigo also made it a point to find and recover Esdeath's damaged organs from this really flamboyant scientist called Dr. Stylish. Wasn't sure which made him more uncomfortable, the heart and lungs he stole or the campy scientist. The point of that was that Esdeath's Teigu was mixed with her blood and he didn't want to risk another person with Esdeath's powers running around. One unstable cryomancer was enough in his opinion.

During that time, Tatsumi was trained by Sheele and Leone, failed to be compatible with Spectator, and Night Raid continued their assassinations. Marik had a bit of a fashion disaster that was later rectified by Mine after an accidental activation of the Soul Projector gave her quite a show, now he wore a white vest with a black tank top and white pants. Since then, Marik was patrolling the outskirts of the capital for any useful Hollows or other spirits while Ichigo continued to reap souls and pray that someone had the potential of becoming a Soul Reaper to aid him.

'This mess vexes me greatly.' Ichigo thought in annoyance, despite having a relatively slow day. He did send a pimp a to Hell, though he was beginning to feel something odd from the Gates of Hell as of late. Suddenly he noticed a bright flash of light, along with a dying life force. 'One more, than I'll call it a night.' He thought to himself as he made his way to where the light flashed. He sensed no Hollows and thus no urgency. He soon found a large force of Imperial Guard, each looking horrified, loud crunching, and some rather demented laughter. That's when he saw them, a giant plush like dog eating an arm and a brown haired girl that was missing both of hers.

“Papa, I defeated the evil villain on my own!” She said happily. “The light of justice shines on this world! Ahahaha!” She continued to laugh. Ichigo glanced at the arm that was soon swallowed by the beast, recognizing the pale purple sleeve.

“If I had any regrets,” Ichigo heard a familiar voice from beside him, “it's that I can't hug Tatsumi anymore. Could you let me say goodbye to everyone myself Ichigo?” He turned to see Sheele, with bloodied bite marks on her body and a bullet hole on her chest, directly over her soul chain.

(Illustrated Guide to Assassination)

Why Lubbock hates Ichigo  
“Jackass has no idea the amount of good we could do if we all had those bracelets.” He grumbled while stomping his way through the base. Then he was sucker punched by a transformed Leone, with Mine and Sheele glaring at him. Akame was just there. “What was that for!?”

“Do the words, 'Leone's luscious curves, Sheele's elegant bod, Akame's toned form, I saw it all' mean anything?” Leone growled, cracking her knuckles while Lubbock broke into a cold sweat. “Ichigo said you were testing something for him, but he never said you were supposed to peep.”

“And what about me!? Nothing!?” Mine roared before they began mercilessly beating on the pervert.

“Ichigo you traitor!”

Ichigo steals Esdeath's Heart

“The heart of General Esdeath.” Stylish said gleefully, looking at the prized organ he took from the general. He was a tall man with spiky black hair with a white patch in it, wore a yellow suit under his white lab coat, and glasses over his blue eyes. “Such a graceful creature, to power through such extensive damage and completely adapt to that Danger Beast transplant. It would be my great pleasure to work further with you, dear general.” He looked away for a second to write something down. “Maybe I'll make you a personal squad of lesser ice users to co-” He froze when all of the organs were missing, “AAHHHHHHHHHHH!”

“It's like Yumichika, except I hate him.” Ichigo said, clutching his visceral prize.

What's going on in Soul Society

“Well, he's certainly not wrong.” Mayuri said as they received the data and audio logs that Ichigo recorded, not knowing that it was immediately sent to squad 12 every time. “Some of those 'Teigu' certainly sound interesting. If only I had the same materials, we could try to make our own versions.”

“Only way that would happen is if Ichigo sent them via Garganta.” Urahara said, already thinking about which improvements could be made and how to recreate some others. “Should we let him know we're watching though?”

“Depends on how desperate he is. Best to wait for when he'll be the least upset with our spying.” Mayuri returned, tapping his fingers like he was irritated. “Still, would like for him to test my drugs and toxins sooner rather than later.”


	7. New Factions

(With Ichigo)

'I am not looking forward to this.' Ichigo thought as he held out a hand for the dead assassin. Sheele took it and they began their trek to the Night Raid base, relatively slowly for Ichigo but still rather fast for the fresh spirit. It soon began to rain when they reached the Night Raid base, as if the sky shared in the somber feel of the area, evidenced by an injured Mine giving the bad news to the rest of the team. Ichigo didn't even bother to question how the sniper beat him here.

“At least Mine got here safely.” Sheele said, smiling that her sacrificed wasn't in vain as the pair scanned the faces of the assassins. There were tears, rage, disbelief, and sorrow. All things that Ichigo expected to find when he considered how much everyone there loved Sheele, but the only comfort he could provide now was simply the chance to say goodbye. Marik was already conveniently waiting with the Soul Projector ready. Probably got it started the moment he saw Mine return without her partner.

“Where's the person that did this Mine?” Tatsumi growled, rage and hate evident in his voice. Ichigo slipped on his Gigai Ring while Marik brought the projector over for Sheele.

“What are you planning on doing Tatsumi?” Najenda asked her green subordinate, probably knowing full well what he was planning, just as Ichigo manifested on the physical plane.

“Get revenge!” He growled out, looking downright vicious. But a vicious cub was still a cub all the same.

“Anger makes you stupid Tatsumi.” Ichigo calmly stated, getting the group's attention. “A proper warrior, especially an assassin, must be in full control of their emotions at all times.”

“....ou dare.” Tatsumi whispered out a growl before storming up to the Soul Reaper. “Don't you dare lecture me about anything! For all that talk of inaction, you have been getting pretty involved! Fighting Esdeath, gathering information, do you simply decide on a whim what you can or can't do!? Did you stand by and watch Sheele die because 'you can't involve yourself'? Do you even know what it's like to lose a frie-!” Ichigo silenced him with a harsh backfist, sending Tatsumi tumbling into the dirt.

“I am all too familiar with that.” Ichigo admitted, thinking back to when Senna died as the Shinenju, to when Kon died protecting his mother and sisters, to when his sisters were still captured despite Kon's efforts. “But all I've ever done was prevent a massacre in my name and slowly free a child from his prison of naivety. Don't mistake me for what I am not, because I am a Soul Reaper. I'm on no one's side but my own.” He looked to Marik and nodded, prompting the Arrancar to activate the projector and reveal Sheele. “Say your goodbyes, and follow me to the underground. I don't think they can handle watching you fade away.” He said as he began to move, already bringing out another Asuachi blade and going into his underground cavern to wait for Sheele and Marik. Almost an hour passed before the pair finally made their way down to the underground, Sheele standing tall with all the dignity and grace she could muster... only for that to be ruined as she tripped and fell over.

“Hopefully I'm not so clumsy in my next life, be it heaven or hell.” She said, trying to pass it off like a joke. Marik helped the poor airhead back up while Ichigo himself walked over. Sheele had a look of quiet acceptance and closed her eyes, waiting for the tap that would decide her eternal fate. When it never came, she opened her eyes to the sight of the Shinigami holding out a katana.

“I actually have a different plan for you Sheele.” Ichigo said, noting the confusion on the girl's face. “As you know, I am but one man and only one reaper trying to help all the souls of the dead in this world. This is not something I can do alone, I've only just recently made the Capital manageable with helping Makoto care for his people and limiting the number of those executed in prison, but the dead keep coming. I've still the rest of the Empire to worry about, but I can't leave the Capital without a Soul Reaper and Marik can't perform the necessary duties.”

“Are you suggesting that I...?” She started, shocked by the suggestion, and even more when Ichigo nodded. “But... the only things I've ever been good at was killing and comforting Tatsumi! I don't think I can be a proper Shinigami!”

“Why do you think I carry a Zanpakuto, or why it transforms?” Ichigo asked, demanding the girl's attention. “Because it looks nice? Because it's cool? No, I carry these blades because there are foes only those with high spiritual power can fight. The corrupted souls of the dead, Hollows.”

“Those large, white masked Danger Beasts that appeared when you first showed up?” She asked, managing to remember the various monsters that flashed into existence for a short while when Ichigo first came to their world.

“Yes, and like any other soul of the dead, they too deserve their judgment and rest.” The reaper admitted. “They just require some rougher treatment, like fighting and killing them. I'm not forcing this on you, this is my offer. Become a Soul Reaper, slay the Hollows that will appear when I leave the city, reap the dead that I can't.” Sheele paused to think before reaching for the blade, only to freeze when Ichigo spoke again. “But know that you can't interact with Night Raid. If you did, they'll start making annoying demands of me, or requests of you. You are no longer part of that war, but now part of mine. The equal treatment of all souls and exclusion from the affairs of the Living. If you break this rule, I'll devour your soul.” It may be harsh, but that's the way he needed to be. She'd break the rules and try to help Night Raid in any way she could, but that's not the world of the Shinigami. She eventually grabbed onto the sheath of the blade.

“If I can be useful, I will take that chance.” The former assassin finally admitted. “I will join you in your mission.” Ichigo smiled, partly relieved to finally have some help, successfully recruiting his first Soul Reaper, and because... yeah he was also fond of Sheele. She seemed like she needed an older brother... despite the fact that she was older.

“Good girl. Your training begins now.” He said before ripping the Zanpakuto out of her hands and tossing it to Marik. “Sheele, go retrieve your sword. Marik, keep her from doing so... but not too harshly.” He said before heading over to his computer while the budding Shinigami and Arrancar knight played 'keep away'.

(Timeskip: Back at the Capital)

A couple days passed since Sheele's death and acceptance to become a Soul Reaper... though her retrieval of her blade was clever, it was also out of pity because how that attempt went. Her training began in earnest and Tatsumi began to push himself in his own training after Akame let her mask of indifference slip. Ichigo had to wonder just what kind of life she had to live up to this point and how many comrades she must have lost before thinking of how many the other captains in the Gotei must have lost themselves. He pushed himself to be as strong as he was so that he wouldn't have to know that pain, not everyone was allowed that luxury and it was close to affecting his judgment. He wanted to comfort Akame, he wanted to help train Tatsumi, but was it his right to do so?

Meanwhile, away from the assassins and the Shinigami, the Prime Minister informed Makoto and Esdeath that her Teigu users have arrived and Budo gave Esdeath's military recruits his blessing on their ability and her army was back to full strength again. Esdeath could now send her Three Beasts to assassinate Honest's political opponents... however, it wouldn't do to leave without testing her new team members. In a room designated as the 'special police meeting room', the team had gathered; a dark haired man in heavy clothing from the imperial navy named Wave, an shirtless man with a mask from the incineration squad named Bors, a black haired girl with a massive sweet tooth named Kurome, a brown haired girl with cybernetic arms named Seryu and her dog Teigu Koro, who ushered in Dr. Stylish, and finally a blonde and fair looking man with the air of a scholar about him name Ran.

“So, before we go hunt some new prey, lady Esdeath wants us to test her new subordinates?” Nyau asked his team members, all three wearing different types of masks. “Why doesn't she do that herself?”

“I think she's waiting to make sure she's ready to go round two with that Shinigami bastard.” Daidara suggested as they reached the door. “Wouldn't mind getting a few hits on that guy myself for what he did to lady Esdeath.”

“Now now you two, it's time to focus.” River scolded as they prepared their little surprise. Nyau took his place on the far side of the hall and brought his recorder Teigu to his lips, ready to play its hypnotic and dangerous tunes. Daidara and River stormed into the room, surprising a few among the group, with Wave acting on that surprise.

“What the hell is with these weaklings?” The battle fanatic demanded, purposefully goading them into action. Wave took the bait.

“Hey, we were all called here to-” He didn't even finish his statement before Daidara slammed his fist into the boy's gut, sending him flying.

“Why are you so open!?” River demanded as he pulled out a sword and began attacking Ran, who nimbly dodged. 'There's one that has potential.' The former general thought as he felt a spike of killing intent appear behind him, only for Daidara to knock Seryu aside.

“You need to control your bloodlust girly.” He scolded as a faint hum began to play. Surprisingly enough, Ran immediately sprouted wings and shot feathers through the wall, roughly around Nyau's location. Kurome moved on the offensive herself, moving so quickly that she nearly decapitated River. The only thing stopping that was fast reflexes and quick use of his Black Marlin to control water, pushing her away from him at the last moment.

“Definitely needs some work, but you'll do for now.” River finally said, giving the six a passing grade as the Three Beasts revealed themselves. The reveal surprised the new team, though Wave was the most vocal and demanded answers. 

“Did you really think that we'd let a bunch of untested nobodies be our beloved General's teammates without proving themselves?” Daidara answered, angering Wave easily while the rest kept their composure. “Some of you barely make the cut.”

“That's for me to decide.” They heard someone speak out as Esdeath appeared in the room. “I hope the three of you had fun and they passed your test?” She asked, getting nods from her bodyguards. “Good, now you have your own mission. So get to it.” The ice master ordered, prompting the three of them to leave. “Meanwhile, the rest of you will have to go through a test of mine.” She announced, the entire team getting ready for action. “But that will come later. For now, we must go present ourselves to the Emperor and I have a tournament to host.” She pulled out one of the posters made for the event. The mark of her Teigu with crossed blades and a skull mask with vertical red lines over the eyes. “I'm sure it'll be quite the show.”

(The Next Day)

“The good news is that our decoy plan managed to succeed and we've a few more allies.” Budo informed the Emperor as they traveled to the audience chamber. “Bad news is that they caught on and still eliminated most of them, and my forces are getting spread a little thin in trying to protect our side.” After hearing about Honest's desire to get rid of some people, Budo made a list of possible targets and tried to contact them to get them to the capital safely or with the Revolutionaries as the alternative. Most important of which was the previous Prime Minister, a man named Chouri, and his daughter/bodyguard named Spear. They successfully reached the capital, but they knew that Honest wouldn't give up so they have a constant watch of bodyguards.

“Normal assassins are of mild concern Budo,” Makoto told his leading general, “the bigger concern is if Honest will conscript a Teigu user to act against us. How many Teigu users in the capital could he use as assassins?” Budo took a moment to think.

“Night Raid would be concerned with keeping them alive so they're out.” He quickly said. “Two of the Jaegers would do it outright while the rest would be tricked, then there's Esdeath's Three Beasts, who seem to be the assassins Honest is currently using.” Makoto bit his thumb, trying to judge his position. Despite Honest's poisoned words being dripped in his ear, the kid did have what it took to be a good leader. He just needed to lose his naïve trust and blind faith.

“The killer, Zank the Beheader, what was his Teigu?” He suddenly asked, getting an idea. “Spectator?”

“Yes your majesty... wait, are you planning?” Budo asked, knowing that the eye Teigu was either with Night Raid or the Rebellion.

“What do you think it'll take to get them to give us Spectator?” Budo's eyes widened in shock, the rebel army and Night Raid were still traitors despite aiming for the same goals. His prejudice about those that threatened the kingdom still held on, against his better judgment.

“If anything my lord, we should leave that to Ichigo. He knows where they are and can negotiate for both sides.”

“Then keep up your guard until we speak with him again. Do whatever it takes to keep them safe.” The monarch ordered as he and Budo entered the audience chamber. “Old man Chouri!” Makoto said cheerfully, putting on the mask of a child rather quickly. “So good to see you again! Are you coming out of retirement?” While the young lord and retired civil servant spoke, Budo's eyes met with Honest's. A smug and victorious grin came on the general's face while the Prime Minister glared and ripped into a large bird drumstick.

“Yes my lord, the outskirts of the Empire gave a little perspective to this old man and ideas that would be put to better use in serving the realm.” Chouri smiled, charmed by his adorable monarch and eager to help him on restoring the kingdom.

“That's wonderful! But, what should you do?” He said before wondering. “Honest is still the acting Prime Minister and I can't just hand that position back to you automatically.” To most others, it was just a child facing a conundrum, to Budo it was a code. 'How to get him to do his job and keep him safe from anything Honest can do?'

“Well, why not appoint him to a parliamentary position?” Budo suggested. “The members of the Imperial Civil offices are among the most secure. Someone on the inside would have to actively conspire against another member to get one killed.” Honest began gnashing his teeth as Makoto agreed and appointed the former Prime Minister to Co-Prime Minister until a better sounding name could be decided.

(Esdeath's Tournament)

The day Esdeath waited for finally came, the stands were full, the prize money enticed many to apply, the grand prize of the Teigu Extase and a guaranteed position in the newly established Jaegers would ensure that the competitors give it their all. But that was all pointless to her real goal; getting to Ichigo. She had to contain her excitement when his name appeared on the roster and it was clear that he was going to win the whole tournament. She knew he'd come, but she still felt her heart pound at the chance to reunite with him, even if it meant possibly painful repercussions by his hand.

“In the East corner, Ichigo Kurosaki!” Wave announced, being given that job by the general and did so with enthusiasm. “In the West corner, Nobunaga of the Dry-Goods store!” The Soul Reaper walked onto the stage with his opponent facing opposite of him, who seemed to be a feudal samurai with a pointed mustache and goatee. “And! Be-” He almost said before Ichigo held up his hand and waved Wave over to him. The young navy-man saw nothing wrong with that and went over, Ichigo immediately snatching the microphone away.

“Hello again, Esdeath.” He said, focusing on the general. “How about we save us all some time, and I just fight everyone all at once. I promise not to kill them.” This, predictably, infuriated the other contestants with his cockiness while Esdeath smiled at the chance to study Ichigo's ability yet again.

“Fine,” The general announced to the public, “and I'll pay ten times the prize money to each of the other contestants IF you lose.” This shocked the entire group for a moment before they crowded around Ichigo, who took center stage of the arena. Wave had to get off before announcing the battle to start.

“And begin!” He called out, triggering the start of the battle. The instant they began to move, a crushing pressure came down over everyone within the combat area. Even Wave was caught up in it, though this confused the entire audience. Esdeath however, was familiar with what happened. The sheer weight of power of her chosen one. Soon enough, each and every person in the arena passed out from the strain and collapsed before Ichigo let up his Reiatsu. Wave was the only one still conscious. “Dis... disqualified!” He called out, gasping for air. “I don't know how, but that was cheating!”

“Take a break Wave.” Esdeath called down, descending from her place in the stands. “I'll examine him for any tool he may have used.” The young man did as ordered and went over to the entrance, where Bors came out with water and concern for his teammate. “You do know that this was supposed to entertain the masses right?” She asked with a knowing smile, Ichigo watched a fine mist appear around the people as they talked about what they just saw.

“Don't be coy with me you icy bitch,” The hybrid growled, “you and I both know what you're doing. Now what do you want?” She smiled and got in close, acting like she was looking for evidence of cheating despite knowing that there was nothing to find.

“I want two things actually.” She finally said while patting him down. “I wanted to see you fight for starters, didn't get a good enough idea before you decided to end our tryst back in the North. But, I want it from an outside perspective this time, with the added benefit of testing my new recruits. Or at least two of them.”

“And the other?” Esdeath rose to her feet, looking the Soul Reaper in his eyes.

“I want to see the world you inhabit.” She admitted. “I want to see the enemies you fight, the work you do, I want to see the Shinigami in action.” She backed away for him. “He was not cheating, merely used a unique style and technique that is unknown to the Empire. However, he has agreed to a rematch fight since you all came for a show. This time, he'll actually fight.” She announced to the public, earning a round of cheers and applause. This time, Ichigo saw ice forming at the feet of the people. “However, since every other competitor is down, Wave and Kurome! Come up here and fight!” The general ordered as the two Jaegers took the stage.

'I'm getting an odd sense of deja vu.' Ichigo thought as he examined the two, reminding him of Tatsumi and Akame respectively. He kept a hand on one of his Zanpakuto and reinforced his hands and feet, sensing their strength but not wanting to kill them. Wave unsheathed a short black cutlass while Kurome had a long katana, similar to Akame's own Teigu. Ichigo immediately sensed something very wrong with Kurome's sword, almost like there were voices crying out for release. He ran out of time for guessing when Esdeath made the call.

“Begin!” She ordered, prompting Wave to charge straight at the hybrid. The boy swung his blade, purposefully slow enough for him to think Ichigo had enough time to block it with his own blade. Instead, the Soul Reaper caught the blade and tossed him aside. Kurome was clearly the more aggressive of the two and went for a killing strike directly at Ichigo's neck. He once again blocks the blade with his bare hand, but this time he heard something crying out to him very clearly. He forgot the fight entirely and focused on the sword, now convinced it was a Teigu, and knocked Kurome back with a solid strike to her gut.

'This blade...' Ichigo listened, hearing five different voices crying out for freedom. He gripped the sword blade with both hands, intent on shattering the weapon and freeing the trapped souls, before getting sucker punched in the face by a figure in black armor. 'What the... why does that resemble Incursio?' He thought after shaking off the sudden blow, the Teigu was taken from him and returned to Kurome's hands who then clutched it desperately.

“You all right Kurome?” Wave asked from inside his armor, Kurome managing to put up a strong front. “Never thought I'd have to pull out my Teigu for something like this. He's definitely no joke.” Ichigo worked his jaw for a bit, getting rid of the sudden shock of the surprise attack he suffered. “I'll keep his attention, you aim for any opening I can make. Ready?” The pair planned before Ichigo flashed in front of Wave. “Wha-” He started before the hybrid threw an Ikkotsu punch into his gut. Wave felt like his ribs were about to shatter from the strike and was sent flying through the walls between the audience and the arena and through the walls around the courtyard. Kurome was about to attack herself, but was stopped when the Soul Reaper shot Kyoka Suigetsu out of the sheath like a bullet and nailed her in the stomach, stopping her in mid-flight.

“What is that sword of yours?” Ichigo growled, still hearing the cries from the blade, as Kurome fell to the ground. Wave, to his stubborn credit, came flying at Ichigo again. The Shinigami summoned his Zanpakuto to his hand and swung at the armored youth as he fell toward him, Kyoka sparking against the armor before slowly biting through. Before he could cut wave and do any more damage, Ichigo let go of the sword punched him in the chest. Once again, Wave was shot backwards, but not before Ichigo caught his sword and pried it free. Before he could continue, he was trapped in a block of ice.

“Thank you everyone for your assistance!” Esdeath called out, making her way onstage and next to the frozen hybrid. “This man happens to be a person of high interest to the Empire and this whole tournament was a trap to lure him out and eventually capture him. He is quite crafty and dangerous. Escape now, and everyone here dies.” She whispered to Ichigo, knowing he could hear her through the ice. “Sorry if the show wasn't to your liking, but you can all expect a full reimbursement on your admission fees. My assistants, Run and Dr. Stylish will return your money. Everyone else, let's get him back to our headquarters.” She ordered, letting two of her soldiers get mobbed while the others came to retrieve Ichigo. The entire time, she admired the fierce and defiant glare in his eyes.

(Illustrated Guide to Assassination)

Sheele's Zanpakuto Retrieval

“I'll catch yoAH!” The girl shouted before tripping and falling on some rocks. This was her fifth time doing so while chasing Marik for the day. Marik waited for the girl to get back up because the point was chasing, not hide and seek. When she didn't, he got a little concerned and went over to check on her. The second he got within a foot of her, she sprung up and made a grab for him. “Finally! I succeeded!” She shouted, singing her victory.

“Yes. You managed to rip my pants off.” Marik said dryly, the Asuachi gripped tightly in his hand, and missing some clothes below his waist. Sheele dropped to her knees and started crying. “Hey, it's not that bad. You've got some nice reflexes and grip strength to do that.” He said, trying to cheer her up, which wasn't working. “The main point was to get you comfortable as a soul and you seem as lively as when you were alive.” Still nothing. “I'll give you the sword and not mention this to Ichigo. Kay?”

“Okay.” She sniffed, finally taking her future Zanpakuto in hand.

Sheele's Next Training

“So, when I said 'get her something to practice with', why this?” Ichigo watching Sheele run from elephant sized Hollows that Marik captured.

“Well, didn't you say optimal soul growth happened when the subject was in a 'life or death' situation?” The Arrancar returned.

“That's still an Asuachi. Not even a Zanpakuto, and I'd feel safer throwing her against something she can actually fight.” Ichigo scolded as they continued to watch Sheele run and scream.

“I think it's a miracle she didn't trip yet.”


	8. Shinigami and Special Police

(Jaeger HQ)

“So...” To say that the majority of the special police force was confused would be an understatement, not expecting their first mission to turn out as such. Esdeath had the frozen Ichigo brought to their base while the Jaegers, sans Stylish and Run, watched in puzzlement while she admired the man in the ice. “What's going on captain?” Bols finally asked. “Who is this Ichigo person and why did we need such an elaborate trap?”

“That boy is not human!” Honest shouted, coming into the headquarters with Stylish and Run in tow. The former having several tools for sample extraction ready and looking absolutely ecstatic, while the latter was just very curious. “You've really outdone yourself this time General. To successfully capture the capital's own reaper.” He said, struggling between his excitement at victory and a calm smugness that the biggest obstacle was out of his way. The carcase of such a powerful being would offer a massive boon to the Empire, and more importantly to him. Maybe even the keys to immortality itself was within his grasp, the man thought while reaching out to the hybrid while Stylish prepared to drill through the ice.

“That's not smart.” Esdeath warned, though it was ignored. Just as she expected, Ichigo's arms broke free with his veins glowing crimson, and struck at the two men. Stylish got his hand and tool crushed in Ichigo's right hand while his left quickly dislocated Honest's wrist, shoulder, then grabbed his skull in a crushing grip. A second later, the ice fell off of Ichigo as he shook himself free.

“I agreed to come along by your terms Esdeath, but I didn't agree to this.” The Soul Reaper growled as the two began to wail in pain. “You should know, I'm not particularly fond of being a test subject without consent.” He lightened up his grip and both men fell to the floor, clutching their still throbbing hand and head, and Marik came in through the door.

“Well, if I need consent,” Stylish started in between pained squeals, “then may I have some sam-” The Arrancar kicked the doctor right out the door, Seryu running after him.

“My answer is no.” Ichigo plainly said, swiping the odd crown Honest had on his head. A ring with three black diamonds. “I will not allow you to have me in any experiments. I've had to send plenty of 'failed test subjects' to their much needed rest and I personally don't trust your scientists.” 'Is this a Teigu? Certainly has a feel of power to it.' The reaper thought as he examined the trinket, sitting himself in a chair. “Also, I'm still going to have to punish you for this Esdeath. Just not here because I'd like to avoid collateral damage.”

“And that is very much appreciated, lord Shinigami.” Honest said, finally getting back up. “I do hope you were successful in your duties. His majesty has been making an effort to try to preserve life in the Capital, but are you sure you should make such compassion known? It would be a shame if death itself were to-” He was saying while Ichigo and Marik shared a glance, before Ichigo poked his finger toward Honest. Marik immediately punched the fat man in the exact spot Ichigo pointed, not enough to kill him but definitely knock the wind out.

“I said I'd like to avoid collateral damage. Not that I wouldn't fight when push comes to shove.” Marik returned to his king's side and waited. “Now, Esdeath, you said you wanted to see the world through the eyes of a soul, correct?” He returned his vision to the icy general, who smiled.

“Yes indeed, and my Jaegers are a fellow offering if they pass your test.” She announced, shocking all the humans in the room, even Seryu and Stylish who just returned. “There is a great chance that we may die in the line of duty, fighting against the enemies of the Empire. Either we pass on to a peaceful rest or join our resident Shinigami in the service of something greater. I fully plan on doing the latter when this war is over, but your choices are your own.” Some seemed to ponder the possibility, partially convinced of Ichigo's 'divinity' after surviving being frozen solid and throwing people around without touching them. Kurome was clutching her sword tightly, terrified of what the Soul Reaper would do to the friends she refused to let rest because of the Teigu's power.

“Hmm.” Ichigo hummed as he appeared in front of her, staring deep into her black eyes. “You remind me of the wild one.” He said, trying to be vague so that others wouldn't understand. Kurome's eyes, however, widened in a sense of recognition. 'I'll have to ask Akame about this girl... even their names sound alike.' He thought before his phone and Soul Tracker vibrated in his pocket, which he left off since reaching this world until he made Sheele a Soul Reaper. The idea was that she was the standard level of strength for future possible recruits. He pulled it out to check, and it was pointing out to the opening of the Empire's Grand Canal and further into the waters. 'Lucky me, I hope.' “Looks like something has come up. I'm going to check it out.”

“What about letting me come?” Esdeath suddenly asked. “This is related to your duty, is it not?” Ichigo tossed the possible Teigu he had onto the couch, keeping an eye on it all the same by Reishi sense.

“I don't yet have the means to let you do that, short of killing you Esdeath.” He said, making note of the Prime Minister subtly taking the crown back. He had a feeling of distress ever since Ichigo took it that only calmed down by a fraction when he reclaimed it, the possibility of that crown being a Teigu went up. “I'll do it when I have the time.” Just as he was about to leave, a messenger appeared in the doorway.

“Is there an 'Ichigo Kurosaki' here?” He asked, Ichigo raising his hand. “His majesty would like to request your presence at your earliest convenience sir.”

“Noted.” Ichigo took off his Gigai Ring and disappeared from human sight shortly before leaving with Marik in tow. “Head back to base and continue training Sheele. Thanks for coming as we planned.”

“Of course my lord.” He said just before sighing. “Can't wait till that girl can hold her own so I can take my naps again.” The Arrancar made his way back to Night Raid's base while Ichigo continued on to the waters, where a fight was taking place.

(Over the Cruise Ship)

“The big ones always tend to bring trouble, don't they?” Ichigo asked, floating over the cruise ship, a massive vessel with a dragon's head at the helm. On the deck were dozens of unconscious forms of various people, someone that was split in half with a soul floating a bit above that was cheering an ally apparently, Tatsumi was injured and clutching his stomach, and Bulat was crossing blades with an older man. “Do I know that guy from somewhere?” He wondered as the fight continued and a third person, about Tatsumi's age, appeared. “Where have I seen them?”

“Secret skill!” The older man yelled, despite a deep cut in his stomach. “Blades of blood!” He roared as his blood shot at Bulat like bullets, some he deflected, others piercing into his flesh.

“He's a stubborn one, I'll give him that.” The hybrid said before descending, believing that the fighting was either over or close to being. As he dropped to the ship, he grabbed onto the floating soul. “Okay, time... to... Huh.” He just barely recognized the man, but the man clearly remembered Ichigo.

“YOU!” He said, pointing a trembling hand at the Soul Reaper. “You're that Shinigami that general Esdeath is so infatuated with!”

“I am. And you are?”

“I'm Daidara of the Three Beasts, Esdeath's personal guard!” He proudly proclaimed, reaching for a weapon that was no longer there. “In the name of my master, I'll... I'll...” He kept reaching until he remembered that he was dead and in the presence of a Death God.

“It wouldn't have made any difference even if you had your Teigu Daidara.” The soul of the older man said after his mortal life ended, somewhat struggling in the transition. “We were all there and watched as even lady Esdeath was brought low by him. None of us can fair any better than the general.” He walked up to Ichigo and bowed in respect. “Please forgive my colleague, all of us in the Three Beasts have our own reasons to follow our general. She saved my life, for example, so while I don't like some of my actions, I still did so out of loyalty to my savior.”

“River's right.” Daidara admitted. “I thought I was the strongest, until she proved me wrong. I respected her power and strength.”

“And what about that one?” Ichigo asked, pointed at the now buffed up blond man while Bulat was yelling at Tatsumi to focus.

“He respects Esdeath as the greater sadist.” Daidara told him. “Kid collects faces... from people that are still alive. It's creepy as hell.” The three shuddered at the odd and sick hobby of the boy named Nyau as Tatsumi called upon the power of the Teigu Incursio. The armor of the Teigu manifested as a giant avatar before it began shifting into something more beast like.

'That thing... it's still alive!' Ichigo realized while watching the armor change in a mixture of awe and horror. Awe at the creature's life force and horror at what life must be like for it. The next exchange of blows was the last as Tatsumi and Nyau punched at each other, with Nyau getting sent right into a wall on the ship and made a crater before falling to the ground dead. “Stay here, all of you. I've something I need to do.” He put on his Gigai Ring just as Tatsumi dispelled his armor and ran back to Bulat.

“Ichigo! Him too? Really!?” Tatsumi said, tears welling up in his eyes as Bulat died. “I can't even say good-bye this time can I?” Ichigo looked to the side as Bulat got himself together, now dealing with the fact he was dead. “We just lost Sheele, now bro? Why do they have to-!”

“Punch him.” Bulat said, knowing that he couldn't do so anymore. Thus, Ichigo punched Tatsumi right on top of his head. Before either could say anything else, the hybrid held up a finger.

“Tatsumi, I do not control when people die.” He said as it began to rain. “I don't even get to decide where they go afterward. All I do is send them to where they will go, I put souls to rest. Letting them say good-bye is a final courtesy that I don't have to actually do. I didn't have to allow Sheele to say good-bye to Night Raid, I didn't need to let your two friends say their final good-byes, or anyone for that matter. So why do I? It doesn't change the outcome of where they'll go, it doesn't change that they're dead, all it actually does is provide closure, which is ALL I CAN DO!” He shouted, scaring the assembled figures. “I have been the most generous Shinigami of my entire ilk, because I don't hear of any other that bothers enough to give any soul any closure.” Senna's words came back to him, when they first helped that young boy's soul find his dad despite his disinterest at first. “Now Bulat has some final words for you, after that, get back to your mission. Stop crying. I'll speak for him.” Ichigo said, turning to the dead assassin and nodding.

“Right. Tatsumi, don't worry.” He said with Ichigo relaying the words. “The kind of power you just showed, you'll surpass me in no time. I can't think of anyone else I'd rather pass on Incursio to. Train hard, make Incursio evolve further than I could ever hope to, and make sure you keep your promise Tatsumi. Survive for your sake, for your village, and for your promise to Akame.” He reached out a hand to place on Tatsumi's shoulder, which the boy somehow felt. “I might not stick around, but I'll always be with you. Lil' bro.” Tatsumi couldn't help but cry, and still promised his mentor that he'd keep pushing himself harder and harder. Ichigo removed his Gigai Ring and marched back to Daidara and River, with a trembling Nyau.

“Alright, time to do this.” Ichigo cracked his knuckled before pulling out one of his Zanpakuto. “Before we start, I'm recruiting people to become Soul Reapers with me.” This drew the expected surprise, and hope from Nyau, that he was expecting. “I have a war of my own that I'm facing, and I need to build my own forces. You will be trained, you will retain your memories, you will grow stronger than you ever could before, and Bulat, you can continue to watch over Tatsumi. The price, you will abandon old allegiances, the affairs you have with the Living are over.

“So, you say you don't choose whether people go to Hell or not.” Nyau said, stepping forward with some confidence. “Can we still go to Hell and punish the sinners?” Ichigo's response was to tap his forehead and summon the Gates of Hell. “Wait! I-I-I can be useful! I can serve you well!” The chains wrapped around him and dragged him into the burning depths, shocking everyone but the Shinigami who had grown too used to seeing those doors opening.

“I do have standards, let that be known.” Ichigo said as he looked to the remaining three. River stepped forward next, the fight was long gone in his eyes.

“I gave my life to my mistress, I've done things that I rather I didn't do, killed people that would've done well for the Empire because of the Prime Minister, and I won't run from my just dues.” He declared. “I'm done fighting Shinigami. Heaven or Hell, send me on my way.” Ichigo tapped his head, and the blue light glow as he slowly faded. “Maybe we'll have that drink next time we see each other Bulat. If we ever meet.” He smiled before disappearing, leaving the two warriors, who were looking quite conflicted.

“I've sworn my life to the general because of her strength, so I don't know if I'd be willing to abandon her just like that.” Ichigo looked skyward and swung his sword, cleaving the clouds apart and ending the rain and overcast. Both Bulat and Daidara could only stare, completely stunned. “I will follow you wherever you command.” That left Bulat, whom Ichigo looked at expectantly.

“Honestly, working with any former member of the Empire's army is gonna leave a bad taste in my mouth, and I don't know if I can toss aside my previous loyalties to Night Raid and Revolution.” The warrior admitted, shaking his head in thought. “But I promised to watch over Tatsumi. And I will keep it. I will keep to your rules, but I'll be keeping an eye on Tatsumi as well.”

(Back at the Capital: Later in the day)

Ichigo dropped off his new recruits back at the Night Raid hideout, told Marik to watch them, and sealed them in his underground base with a high level barrier spell with the same training Sheele went through. Sheele was happy to have an old teammate of hers with her now, but had also shed a few tears that he was now dead like her. The last thing Ichigo did at his base was retrieve the other thing he was working on, a glove with the 'Soul Ejection' Kido laced into it, and grabbed some Hollow bait. If Esdeath wanted to see his world, she'll see all he had to show. His power, the Hollows, and how she'd stack up against them. With that done, he reappeared at the Jaegers HQ.

“Soul Reaper!” Run called out, being the only other one in the meeting room. Stylish and Seryu were working on patching up the former's hand, Wave was helping Bols cook and bring dinner to Kurome, who locked herself in her room for some reason, and Esdeath was in a meeting. “I was hoping to speak with you alone. I have... some questions.” The man said, looking around the room to make sure they were alone. “I have a request, and am willing to pay-” He started before Esdeath came in with the other Jaegers.

“Listen up people, our first big job as the Jaegers is here!” She announced, heading for the table in the middle of the room. Run seemed agitated, but joined his teammates at the table. “Nice to see you here Ichigo, are you going to join us on this mission. You'll have to tend to them after we're done anyway, and it would be a perfect chance for me to see the spirit side of things.” She said with a smile. Ichigo wanted to wipe that smirk off her face, but waited. That would come later.

'I wonder what kind of Hollows will appear.' Ichigo thought to himself, rolling the bait around between his fingers. Esdeath continued to brief her soldiers and ask their resolve... Stylish, for some reason, felt necessary to denounce Ichigo as any sort of god and that Esdeath was a more fitting goddess. “Right. You guys go on ahead, I said I'd meet with the Emperor.” He said before flashing away to do just that. Ichigo appeared in the throne room, with Honest, Budo, some new old guy, and Makoto discussing the affairs of state. Before anyone could react, he was directly in front of the Emperor and slipping the Spirit Bracelet on the kid before removing his own Gigai Ring. “Okay, what is it kid?”

“Was that wise to do?” Makoto asked, still trying to catch up mentally to what just happened. The look from Ichigo prompted him to continue. “Right, I was wondering if you could get Night Raid to give us the Teigu Spectator. If they need a reason, tell them it's to protect the former Prime Minister Chouri, who now serves on my staff.” He said pointing at the new older man while Budo tried to restore order in the palace. “Honest noted him as a threat to his authority and power, and he was always a good and honest man to the people. I'm sure he's a person of interest that the rebels would rather see alive.”

“And why would they trust you? I have been vague about you being freed from Honest.” Ichigo asked, making Makoto reach into his pocket.

“This is the Emperor's Seal.” He said, handing the golden stamp to the Shinigami. “Only high ranking officials and other generals will recognize that and it is always kept on the Emperor. Show it to whoever it is that you talk to.” Ichigo bounced the gold seal a few times in his hand before pocketing it.

“I'll see what I can do.” With that, Ichigo took the bracelet back and left the throne room, leaving the job of explaining things to Budo and Makoto. Which he doubted that either appreciated having to do, but his concerns laid elsewhere. He traced Esdeath's presence to a high ledge overlooking the fortress that the Jaegers were tasked with eliminating as a bandit hideout. “Did I miss anything?”

“Nope, just in time to watch them in action.” Esdeath answered, not even shocked at Ichigo's sudden appearance. “How will they fare in your eyes?” Ichigo wondered the same as he watched them attack the fortress. The first up was the cyborg girl with the dog Teigu, Seryu if he remembered correctly. She certainly proved adaptive with the different weapons she could switch out her arms with, Mayuri would have a field day with her if she let him do the same body modification, but one look at that savage and predatory grin told the Soul Reaper enough. That girl was a murderer and with how she always used the word 'justice' for every other word probably means she's unstable, she'd probably decide to kill souls rather than use Konso because she'd consider herself the judge.

'So she's out.' He decided as he moved on to the doctor. Stylish was more of a support type, though Urahara and Mayuri have proven how dangerous a smart man can be, so he'd probably do well in squad 12. However, he seemed like this disturbing mix of Yumichika's aesthetic demands and Mayuri's morality and desire to experiment. He'd require more analysis, but Ichigo doubted he could stomach the man being a Soul Reaper. He displayed modified humans, but was project Spearhead any better... maybe, but that wasn't an argument he wanted to have. Next were Kurome and Wave, who once again seemed like a weaker Akame and stronger Tatsumi... the resemblance was still odd to the hybrid. Bols and Run were the last and they mainly showcased the power of their Teigu, nothing he couldn't do with his Kido or Quincy bow against Bols flamethrower and Run's wings.

“Well?” Esdeath asked as her team finished up and started to return to their rendezvous. Ichigo didn't answer as some of the newly made souls already started turning into Hollows, even attacking each other. Being the person he was, he went into action. Grabbing Esdeath by the waist, causing her to blush for the first time in a while, before flashing down to the Jaegers. 

“Catch. Spiritual bitchslap.” He said, tossing the general toward her subordinates before donning the Soul Ejection glove and pushing Esdeath's soul from her body. “She's alive, just comatose while her soul is out of her.” He quickly explained before turning to soul form and making quick work of the spirits in the base. “Well?” He asked, reappearing before Esdeath, who was watching in shock.

“That... that... how fast... are you!?” She gasped, suddenly noting how hard it was to breath. “What is this?”

'Teigu users seem to adapt more easily to being souls.' Ichigo thought as she already began to steady her breathing. 'More research into the spiritual requirement of Teigu.' “This is the first time you became a spirit, is it not? You need to relearn how to live in a new body, breathing first, and movement second.” She nodded in understanding as she quickly reached a more comfortable state. “As for how fast, not too sure. I've never bothered to measure it, but it's never fast enough.” He took out the bait and crushed it. “Now watch Esdeath, this is my life as a Soul Reaper.” He said as dozens upon dozens of holes opened in the sky with hundreds of Hollows, and one massive tear slowly appearing.

(With Honest)

“Damn that Soul Reaper!” He raged, not even able to enjoy his usual snacks after Chouri talked Makoto into making cut backs on certain expenses to fund a new project to clean up the district; removing litter, repairing buildings, providing medical care, removing drugs, and all out of the 'secret' funds he had from bribe money and tax evasion. “He had a hand in this! I know it!” The problem is, he was losing his resources. Night Raid is killing off his pawns, Budo would start making arrests if he made a move in the wrong direction, Esdeath is too infatuated with that Soul Reaper, and he's losing his grasp on the child emperor. If he doesn't do something and soon, then his carefully laid out plans will be completely unsalvageable. “Maybe it's time I have those two move.” He suddenly decided. “He should be close to done with his travels and the other is just one position away from taking over that little cult! Just need to move quickly.” He began writing a pair of secret letters, one to a man named Syura and one to a Bolic.

(Illustrated Guide to the Special Police)

Jaegers Reaction to Ichigo

Wave: 'Teigus? I can deal with. Quirky teammates? I can deal with. Crazy boss lady? Fine. A literal reaper of souls? What the hell is going on!? The Capital is insane!'

Kurome: 'He's going to take them away. He's going to take them all away. I can't let that happen. I can't let them go! Sister... I'm scared. Why can't we be together again like we used to be?'

Run: 'If I can get his help, then I can certainly achieve my vengeance. But can I persuade a god of death to help me? I know I have to change the empire, but I must avenge my students. Please Shinigami, grant me your favor and help remove a monster from this world.'

Bols: 'So that was the God of Death. ...I know I shouldn't think like this, but the general is right and I may die in the line of duty. I should ask him what Hell is like so I can be prepared, because I know Heaven won't have me.'

Seryu: 'I wonder if he'll let me join him if I die in the line of duty. That sounds good, serving justice to the sinners for all eternity! But, then why did captain Ogre have to die?'

Stylish: 'He's certainly a cutie, but just so not my type at the same time. I want nothing more than to experiment on him, a genuine godly entity! But how? Maybe I'll strike when he's in human form... he should be vulnerable. I'll need to prepare my army... all of my dear experiments should be able to help.'

Esdeath: 'I want his babies, I want his babies, I want his babies, I want his babies, I want his babies, I want his babies, I want his babies, I want his babies!'

Ichigo: 'I'M NOT A JAEGER! LEAVE ME ALONE!'


	9. Power of Souls

(With Esdeath)

“So these are Hollows.” She said, watching with a sense of awe at the many different sizes and shapes of the masked creatures. How did they fight, how did they determine strength, would any of them present as challenge, these thoughts flowed from her mind as she continued to watch the sky fill with them. It was only when she saw some begin to attack each other that she felt a sense of kinship among them, that the weak are the food of the strong. Their howls resonated within her and her heart leaped in her chest when a minotaur like Hollow set its eyes on her, roughly three times her size. Her first hunt of the creatures of the spirit realm. Instinctively, she held out her hand and summoned a barrage of ice shards to pierce the monster. But nothing happened, shocking her that the long time power she wielded was gone.

“What were you expecting?” Ichigo asked, gaining her attention. “You're a spirit now. You've lost your weapons, why are you just standing there?” Almost immediately, she turned back to the Hollow and received a hard punch to her gut with a fist that was half the size of her torso. She was sent flying a few dozen feet before the chain connecting her to her physical body ran out and stopped her momentum. It was a few feelings that she forgot over the years; pain, vulnerability, she was no longer the strongest predator. That said, she refused to be prey.

'I will dominate!' She thought, charging back at the Hollow. It made another swing with its fist, only for the general to dodge it and show that she was used to being a spirit. She closed the distance and thrust a kick into the Hollow's knee, creating a sickening snap as the limb shattered. 'At least I still have my strength.' She thought while the Hollow toppled over, howling in pain, before she caught the beast by the throat and threw it over her shoulder with the mask slamming into the ground. She turned for her next opponent, only for something to wrap around her leg and swing her about like a ragdoll. While she could, she trailed the tentacle back to the Hollow it can from and found a ball of tendrils with sharp pointed teeth and naught else in the wriggling mass.

“There are as many different Hollows as there are flakes of snow, general.” Ichigo told her, standing next to her mortal body. “Many have unique abilities or different attributes to their beings. You must be ready for any possibility.” She didn't even see him unsheathe his blade as the tentacles holding her suddenly went slack, cut from the main body. “That's your one time Esdeath! Try to survive!” He ordered as she fell to the ground, the Hollow seeming to be frozen in fear looking at Ichigo. She took her chance.

'Just like any other hunt. Kill or be killed. Torture would be pointless.' She reminded herself, charging forward and grabbing onto the tendrils of the Hollow. 'This is MY hunt!' She pulled and spun, twisting the Hollow along with her, throwing it into the distance. She was about to continued her assault, but something sharp cut at her side and she found a huge crab like Hollow trying to pin her down with its feet and it was still stabbing at her. She felt pain, she felt vulnerable, she was without her power and her weapon, she felt... afraid. She wouldn't be able to beat the armored tank above her, and it wasn't even the biggest Hollow there. She had to run.

A boar masked, multi-armed gorilla Hollow tackled the crab, goring its mask with a tusk, and shoved it aside before tearing into it. She took the chance to try and run, only to be stopped by the chain connected to her body. She turned back, embarrassed by this defeat, but also finding hope in a possible escape as the Hollows continued to attack each other. She had to return to her body, that's how she'd escape, then she'd train herself to be able to stand against these monsters. But the moment she got within arm's length of her body, Stylish quickly patching up the injuries that appeared on her body while the others try to help however they could, she was caught. Another tall, lean, gangly Hollow with a weird tusked fish mask had her in its grasp and began to squeeze her, bringing the general to its waiting maw.

'So this is how I die?' She thought, finding it somewhat fitting that only the monsters of the dead would be the one to finish her in this world of the strong devouring the weak. She waited for the snapping of jaws like a falling guillotine blade, only it never came. Instead, she was pulled away from the Hollow's mouth before being dropped unceremoniously on the ground. When she looked back to them, they began bowing, praying, and singing some twisted hymn of worship, all directed to another Hollow. A massive pillar cloaked in ragged blackness that stood taller than any tree or tower she saw in her life with a long spike nose on a white mask, but it wasn't that Hollow the others seemed to be praising. It was the small humanoid figure, seated like a king, in the hands of the massive Hollow that all the others seemed to worship. That figure's mask may have had horns, but she recognized everything else about it. Ichigo was acting like a king and the Hollows were revering him like a god. “HOW!?” She called out, hoping he could hear her over the warped symphony of the Hollows.

“You've seen it for yourself, have you not?” Ichigo answered, moving his hand and having the Gillian lower him to speak easier with the living soul of Esdeath. “The rule of the Hollows is that the strong devour the weak, but they are cursed with an endless hunger for other souls. Some successfully evolve into a new state, very few are ever freed from their hunger, but only the strongest rules them all.” He said, just before unleashing his Reiatsu and forcing Esdeath and dozens of the weaker Hollows to their knees. She tried to get up, only for the pressure to grow as more and more Hollows were forced to submissive positions. Now she understood a fraction of the kind of beast the Shinigami was. “I took the throne of the Hollows, and I have only a select few Hollows turned Arrancar to serve at my side. They are Hollows that were granted the powers of Soul Reapers.” He held out a hand and an Asuachi covered in black and red flames came out. “Catch.” He said before flicking his wrist and sending the blade to her, and the general managed to catch it effortlessly after he released the pressure.

“What is this?” She asked, feeling a dark power coursing through the sword. Vast and consuming, not insane like her Demon's Extract, but terrifying in how it burned.

“Take that sword and thrust it into your heart.” Ichigo ordered, the sadist looking up to the hybrid. “Once you do, you will take a portion of my power into you. It will transform you into a Shinigami and I will train you to be one of my soldiers. But understand Esdeath.” The chain connected to her chest rattled and went taunt, as if Ichigo was pulling it to him. She could even see tiny threads from the links going to him. “I can take that power back. You may train with me and battle Hollows, but break my rules, and I WILL take my power away. Do I make myself clear?” He asked as she examined the blade, still burning with his power. To accept was to have a guarantee of more battles and the promise of greater power to fight, at the cost of her freedom. With Honest, it was easy. She had more sway in that deal, more power, so long as he could give her fights than she'd support him. Here? Ichigo had all the power. She played nice, or she'd lose it and her chance for a grand war. Course she could walk away... but could she really?

“I'll follow your orders.” She finally said, taking up the Asuachi and stabbing it into her heart. It was followed by a shockwave with a flash of light, with Ichigo flashing down and catching her hand before she could do anything. “Aren't Shinigami meant to kill Hollows?” She asked, in traditional Shinigami attire with a low cut top that would've displayed her Teigu if she still had it, wielding a long and thin Nodachi Zanpakuto with her clan's symbol as the guard of the blade.

“You against this many? Even with the small amount I gave you, it wouldn't be enough.” He said, just before the giant Hollow opened its mouth and stabbed through all of the smaller Hollows with its tongue. “Just wanted to remind you.” Ichigo flicked his wrist and destroyed the Menos' head with a quick Bala. “The difference in power. Now get back into your body.” He ordered before looking out to the distance, Esdeath complying with his order. 'Were those Quincy I felt? Better step up security just in case.' He decided as Esdeath returned to the realm of the living and was welcomed with joy by her subordinates.

(Time skip: With Ichigo)

It was an entire day after the siege on that bandit fortress and Esdeath becoming a Substitute Soul Reaper, whether or not that was legal was not a concern to the hybrid as it was the only way to keep a leash on the sadist. She still didn't know that if he took back the power he gave then she would die, now was not the time for that. Eventually, but not at the present time. When the Jaegers returned to the Capital that night, Ichigo went out to search. Hunting for whatever spiritual disturbance that was during the Hollow attack, but found nothing. Almost as if it was both there and not, like a spirit Schrodinger's cat dilemma. After searching for most of the night, he returned to the Jaeger HQ and slept while in spirit form. When morning came, he tried talking to some of the Jaegers to get a better idea of who they were.

Run was the first, and his questions really threw Ichigo through a loop. 'If I sacrificed my life, would you help me kill a monster?' No one else was in the room or the base, so it was likely the question that Run tried to ask him yesterday before the mission interrupted him. He didn't even hide much else, so either he really hated whatever this monster was or he believed he wasn't strong enough to fight it. Ichigo had to explain that he didn't take offerings like that, Run nodding in understanding before asking if he'd kill a human if they were vile enough. Ichigo didn't answer, he wasn't supposed to make those calls. If he did, what gave him the right to do so? Run changed the topic after a bit of silence and they spoke of different matters. Ichigo got a sense of righteousness from the man, someone that would be a better teacher or politician than special forces soldier, but beneath that was a burning hatred of something or someone. What did this would be monster do to the man?

Next was Bols, who arrived and prepared lunch for his teammates. Despite an appearance that would scare off a lot of people, he had the impression of a gentle giant despite his job and weapon. He purposefully avoided topics that related to his time in the incineration squad of the army and spoke fondly of his wife and child. Ichigo guessed that he was haunted by the lives he took, likely screaming they were innocent if the corruption of the empire had any part. In a way, Bols reminded him of his teacher Yamamoto, a man that felt his list of sins far exceeded any good he may have done. Likely thought that he might go to Hell for the things he did in life. The hybrid wanted to free him of that fear, but put it on hold. Would Bols even believe him if he told him the true requirements to go to Hell, or does he wish Hell upon himself?

Wave was next and Kurome was with him, hiding behind the former Navy officer the moment she saw the Soul Reaper. That... was not a productive conversation. Wave continued to prove himself similar to Tatsumi in so many ways, the two could be brothers. He was even the butt of a few jokes from the other Jaegers and the universe's sick sense of humor. Kurome, however, admitted to being Akame's sister and that they were part of the same assassination training course and that was all she said before munching on some of her candy. Which Ichigo took it and scolded her for her unhealthy eating habits before returning it after getting called a bully by everyone else in the room. Though he did keep a few pieces of candy for himself, wondering about the sweets after eating nothing but Akame and Tatsumi's cooking all this time.

Seryu and Stylish came together as well, though Seryu did most of the talking. She wanted to know what happened to sinners, how justice is done in the afterlife, and if he already sent captain Ogre to heaven yet, to which he responded with asking if she remembered every criminal she killed. When she went silent, Stylish changed the topic to how she's helped people as of late. That actually gave him some new insight into the girl; someone that wanted to help, but then why did she have the face of a savage in battle? What kind of damage must she have to be the way she is? Stylish... kept observing him, and he spent enough time with Kisuke and Mayuri to know that look. Dissecting, examining, undoing a puzzle and hypothesizing, he only asked Ichigo one question and it was to confirm his own suspicions of the relation between the Soul and the Body after Esdeath's injuries.

'And back to the hideout.' The Shinigami thought as he flew back to his and Night Raid's base. First thing he did was break the seal on the underground base and check on things there. Sheele was developing nicely, her blade changing to match her body with the guard resembling... scissors? Looks like that Teigu of hers left quite the impression on her soul. Bulat and Daidara were sparring and recovered their Asuachi, so all that was left was for the blades to change to their wielders. Maybe he'd let Sheele perform Konso unsupervised in the city soon. But for now, he shared a glance with Marik and put a stronger barrier over the underground and added an illusory concealment Kido to keep it hidden. “Now, time for us to talk Akame.” He whispered to himself, but someone heard him.

“About what Ichigo?” Akame asked, appearing right behind the Soul Reaper. Ichigo looked to the girl in surprise and shock by how she pulled that off.

'I know she can mask her presence and remove killing intent, but how did I not sense her Reishi?' He wondered as he stood back up. “You have a sister.” He said, making her nod.

“And I have to kill her.” She admitted, throwing Ichigo through a loop. The way she said it carried a tone of sadness and regret, anger and hate, but also pain. None of which Ichigo cared about because she just said she was going to kill her little sister. “I tried to convince her to come with me when I chose to defect, but she chose to stay. She would probably say I abandoned her. Was she constantly eating something while you were there?” Ichigo pulled out some of Kurome's candy, which she sniffed and tasted before sighing in disappointment. “Drugs. She's too far-” Ichigo didn't let her finish, slapping her really hard with a furious glare.

“What the hell is family to you Akame?” He demanded, the assassin looking at him in shock. “Do you really think you can just give up on your sister like that? How close were the two of you before you defected? If the answer is that you relied on each other, then how the hell can you just give up on her like that!?”

“BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW ANY OTHER WAY!” She answered, crying out in anguish with tears running down her face. “I'd do anything to save her if I could, but I can't if she won't let me. The only way I can think of is to give her a quick end, not letting those drugs destroy her.”

“Then you aren't trying hard enough.” He growled, making her look at him. “The job of an older sibling is to protect the younger ones. When I have the time, I'm dragging the both of you to a neutral space, and you WILL talk it out. As for the drugs,” Ichigo looked at the candy, “I'll see what I can do.” Now Akame was stunned.

“Can... can you save her?” Ichigo merely looked at her and nodded. He was about to dispel the barrier and head down when Akame told him something else. “Last I heard, Kurome should have a Teigu called Yatsufusa. It reanimates the bodies of those killed by the sword like puppets.” That actually explained a lot to Ichigo, and became another matter on his to-do list.

“Then you can tell Night Raid this, the Jaegers number of six consist entirely of Teigu users. Not including Esdeath.” He warned, dropping into the underground cavern and heading for his lab station. Time to put Mayuri's chemistry set to work.

(Some time later)

'Almost... there.' The hybrid thought as he prepared to add a new chemical to a possible detox cure that would clean out Kurome's system from the 'performance enhancers' that the Empire created to make her even with the other top candidates in that assassination program Akame told him about. He put the candy in the scanner, was told the exact chemical composition, and was given instructions on how to counteract it with easy to follow tips... almost as if Mayuri and Urahara were contacting him through the other side. Wouldn't surprise him if that were the case and he's not sure how he should feel about it, he's just happy to nearly be done with making the medicine. It had been a long time since he did anything chemistry related and it was NOT like riding a bicycle, muscle memory played no part in it. He did keep a steady hand, thanks to all the calligraphy practice with Yamamoto, now to add the final few drops to complete his project... then the ground started shaking.

“What the-?” He asked before a couple glass containers fell over and broke, mixing together haphazardly. “Oh no.” He said before it quickly blew up in his face, a flash of light, heat, and minor chemical burns that he healed from pretty quickly. His budding squad of spirits rushed to his side, about to ask what happened, when Ichigo silenced them with a single raised finger and they listened as the shaking continued. The hybrid flashed to the exit and left the underground chamber, soon coming to face a rather large army of large thick muscled humanoids with what he could only describe as 'melted faces'. “Relief. Good.” He said before holding out a Zanpakuto lengthwise. “Hado #32, Okasen.” A ball light appeared before spreading along the blade and shooting out a beam of Reishi, cutting through many of the freaks of nature. When he did, he heard a multitude of voices calling out.

“Thank you.” He saw dozens of human souls appearing and fleeing from the battle, drawing a sickening conclusion of what this was to Ichigo. These used to be people and only one person had the means and ability to do something like this in the Empire. Next time he saw Stylish, would likely be the last. He sensed Night Raid's members coming out, but he sealed them and the base behind a barrier with a flick of his wrist.

“I'm cutting loose. Stay.” He ordered, releasing the Shikai of Zangetsu and facing the misshapen horde. He could sense that there were more, many more, this was just the mindless cannon fodder to start. If that were to be the case, then they would die as such. “Let's see if I can't get this right.” He said, sticking the Khyber blade into the ground and raised his hand for a chop. “Ura Hado: Sannodo, Teppusatsu!” He called out, an eastern dragon's head with puffed up cheeks appearing as he chopped down. The dragon blew out a gust of wind that blasted most of the abominations back, along with a few broken bones if those snaps were any indication, but Ichigo felt his arm go numb and the creatures got back up and kept coming. “Should've practiced that more.” He sighed as feeling returned to his arm when he picked his blade back up. “Getsuga Tensho!” He roared, swinging a wave of black destructive energy that vaporized the horde.

“Impressive.” He heard from behind as a blade hit the back of his neck. “But you left yourself exposed.” The voice sounded cocky, before gasping when he noticed Ichigo wasn't bleeding. He remembered a lesson continuously drilled into his skull.

“Never drop your guard.” He said before twisting his Trench knife blade and stabbing back, impaling whoever on his Zanpakuto. “That's something I learned the hard way.” He tossed the body back to the horde remains and threw another Getsuga at them, just to ensure the abominations were destroyed. That's when Stylish's army appeared all around him and swarmed the Soul Reaper, catching nothing when he flashed above them with his bow at the ready and unleashing a barrage of arrows. The results were gruesome as the gathered pawns were shredded and then pulped by the arrows, Ichigo soon landing in the torn up and bloodied ground. Stylish's army was now fleeing, but before Ichigo could give chase, a large and thick muscled man with a dapper mustache, green jacket, and armored hands with a familiar pair of scissors on his back.

“Sorry, 'Soul Reaper', you won't be getting-” He started to say before Ichigo appeared in front of him, punching with both fists. The result was a massive hole in the man's body as he fell dead, Ichigo continuing to his intended target.

“You made a bad mistake doc.” Ichigo said to himself, seeing Stylish with three others. A man with a ridiculous nose, a man with giant eyes, and a girl with giant ears... Ichigo may have been wrong about him having Yumichika's aesthetic sense. The mad doc seemed to think that now would be a good time to run, but Ichigo removed his Gigai Ring and cut off his escape route before reappearing on the physical plane. “Did you really think you could run?” Stylish now looked scared.

“P-Please, lord Shinigami... I just wanted to research the spiritual plane! I couldn't resist coming!” He pleaded. A weak defense, the both of them knew it was. “A-and why are you protecting Night Raid? I heard that your weren't planning to involve yourself.” He tried desperately for any way to avoid his coming doom.

“Same reason why I bother with Esdeath. We made a deal.” He answered before swinging his blade and letting the wind pressure from the swing send him and his cronies flying off into the forest. After that, he dispelled the barrier around the base and erected another few to box Stylish in. “Night Raid, your own monsters, or me! Pick your poison you bastard.” He roared, clearly not happy with the doctor after fighting his army. All those people that were modified humans, how many still had their minds or survived compared to how many must have been failures in comparison? He personally didn't want his own discount Mayuri, no matter how useful he may be. He watched as the Danger Beast humans charged at the doctor's location, what remaining soldiers he had trying to fight them off with one that looked like a cyborg with multiple weapons hidden in his body, but that was a losing battle. Stylish seemed to noticed that and did something Ichigo didn't expect to happen, he pulled out a syringe and injected himself with whatever chemicals was inside. The effects were instantaneous as his body mutated, the upper half of his torso taking the place of a head and the rest appearing to be a crude suit of a monster's body that continued to grow larger and larger.

“I'll kill you! I'll kill all of you!” Stylish roared as the change continued, starting to eat his own forces for 'nutrients' as he grew bigger and bigger. When he stopped, he was the height of a Gillian Menos with the muscle of that Ayon chimera that Halibel's girls showed him some time back, a robot arm... that made no sense of how it was there but the Goliath monster had mechanical parts, and Stylish himself like a zit on the creature's forehead. “I will not fall here!” He turned to face Ichigo, who was concentrating his power.

“Just what is humanity to you, Stylish?” He asked silently, flashing away at the last second when Stylish brought his fist down and was now standing level with the sole remaining human part, that bore a rage filled look at the Soul Reaper. “Just a word? Something to experiment with? To easily throw away?” Ichigo's arms glowed red as he channeled his Blut Arterie and got into a quickdraw stance. “You make me sad.” He whispered before the upper half of his clothes were shredded by pure energy. “Hitotsume: Nadegiri.” He then slashed so quickly, no one saw it and he dispelled his poor attempt at Shunko, grimacing as his body stitched his muscles and bones back together with his clothes doing the same. Stylish's body split in half seconds later, along with leaving a gash in Night Raid's mountain base.

“Wow, what did I miss?” Najenda asked, flying in on a manta-ray with two cloaked figures at her side.

(Illustrated Guide to Assassination)

Where was Night Raid?

“So Ichigo is basically going to force you to make amends with your sister?” Tatsumi summed up after Akame told the group what the resident Soul Reaper told her. “And that the Jaeger's police force is entirely made up of Teigu users. Does anyone else feel that he's doing more than he said he would?”

“Ah, leave him to it!” Leone shouted, drinking a pint of beer because why not. “He's just doing whatever he wants and it's not like we can really stop him.” She downed about half her drink when some of them noticed something off. “Hey, is something shaking?”

First Impressions

Susanoo: He is certainly powerful, I wonder if that is even his full power. Are his clothes... regenerating? I MUST GET THAT FABRIC!

Chelsea: So that must be the guy that the boss says is the Death God and a neutral force. Gotta say, he's certainly impreHOLY ABS! ABS! ABS FOR DAYS! ...I think I'm completely straight again. It's a miracle.

Najenda Catching Up

“I know we have that agreement with Ichigo where he protects our base and all. But WHY DIDN'T YOU LOT DO ANYTHING!?” The former general exploded at her team while her new humanoid Teigu, Susanoo, packed the base up for the move to a new location. “I know we're still reeling from the loss of Sheele and Bulat,” Said spirits looked at their former team while getting plenty of practice in Konso, “but that is absolutely NO EXCUSE to just sit around and do nothing!”

“Not like there was much they could do Najenda.” Ichigo said, coming to their rescue. “I sealed them behind a barrier so they wouldn't get involved. I had some...” Ichigo looked to the lab kit briefcase Marik carried along with a restrained Stylish, “aggression to work out. By the way, I need Spectator back. I told Makoto I'd get it to him.”

“WHAT!?” The boss roared, looking furious at Ichigo while he pulled out the Emperor's seal.

“It's so he can keep Chouri alive.” Najenda looked at the seal, back to Ichigo, and sighed.

“I'll see what I can do.”


	10. Broken Justice

(With Ichigo's group and Night Raid)

The hybrid was silent while the entire group from the Night Raid base made its way to a new location, the assassins on their flying manta-ray Danger Beasts and Ichigo's team on a platform of Reishi he made. Some of the group were enjoying the flight, some getting airsick, Susanoo didn't react, and Daidara kept challenging Bulat and Marik to arm wrestling matches. He had better luck against Bulat than Marik, who was sitting on the restrained soul of Stylish while Ichigo physically carried the human head that was removed from the mutated Danger Beast body.

“Please, lord Kurosaki, I can be of use!” Stylish continued to plead, desperate to change what he thought his judgment and sentence to be. “There are many things of this world I could teach you, make for you, just let me be your servant and-”

“Marik.” Ichigo said, prompting the Arrancar to punch Stylish into unconsciousness, and leaving Ichigo to his thoughts. Ridding himself of Stylish would definitely be a negative in the practical sense, but his morals refused to allow him to have such a man at his side. Stylish was too reminiscent of Mayuri for his liking and he wasn't sure of yet who was worse, not something he wanted to consider either. Najenda eventually had them land in the 'Margue Plateau' eight hundred kilometers away from the Capital, an incredibly hostile environment for humans that remains unexplored and unknown. A good place to hide, but he wasn't sticking around for long.

“This will be a good place to train until the situation in the capital dies down.” Najenda announced the game plan to her team while Bulat and Daidara helped Ichigo set up his lab, if only to get the analyzer/teleporter ready. “Thanks for honoring our deal Ichigo, but maybe you should be more careful if following you exposed us.” Najenda shot at the Shinigami.

“I could just go to the Empire and make my base there.” Ichigo returned just as quickly, while cutting out Stylish's brain from his skull. “I do spend a lot of time in the capital anyway. At least they've been respecting my privacy. Lubbock!” Ever since he tested that intangibility bracelet, he kept trying to sneak in and take it for more peeping. The others were also guilty of trying to sneak about his training ground and lab, but due to their weak spiritual awareness they were unable to see anything not in the physical plane... though that didn't stop Marik from punching them in the head every time they came down.

“Ichigo! It's done!” Bulat called, prompting Ichigo to ignore Night Raid from that moment on by removing his Gigai Ring. He made his way over to the computer and started it up, the machines humming to life as he supplied them with Reishi. The glass tank opened up, ready to receive the first sample. Ichigo placed Stylish's physical, and slightly mutated, brain inside and started the analysis before typing in a message.

“If this is being received by Mayuri or Kisuke, I've got more body parts for you. Let me know if you're there.” He said as he typed it out and waited. Within seconds, Stylish's brain was engulfed in light and disappeared from the world with the word 'Thanks' appearing. “Next!” Ichigo called out, causing Marik to grab the squirming Stylish. The doctor woke up after they landed, but was gagged with a mouthful of Marik's shirt. “Dr. Stylish, I've ultimately decided to grant your wish. Try not to die, Mayuri is not gentle.” Ichigo warned as the Arrancar stuffed Stylish into the tank, the man screaming all the while until the light flashed and he was gone.

“Well that was certainly gruesome.” Daidara commented as Ichigo put his ring back on and grabbed Stylish's head, gesturing at Sheele to come to his side.

“I'm heading back to the capital for a while. Might as well tell Esdeath what happened to this guy.” The hybrid said as a Reishi platform appeared under his feet, raising him and Sheele into the air. “Let's see how this goes.” He said, just before they flew away at high speeds.

(Jaeger Headquarters)

It was morning at the base of the special police, Bols and Wave were cooking meals for the team with Kurome 'taste testing' the food before anyone else, Run was reading a new book, only two other members were notably distracted, Esdeath and Seryu. The latter because she was concerned for a certain doctor that hadn't made any appearance since yesterday and the former because her favorite symphony of pain and torture was slowly becoming an irritation. Ever since Ichigo gave her some of his own spiritual power, she was exposed to the spirits of the world and there was no shortage of death still in the palace. Hundreds of voices crying out in anger at the Prime Minister, at her, at the cruelty of the Empire, and she couldn't shut them out. It was the trial of her Teigu all over again, only endless and she couldn't overpower it with her own will. The sounds of pain and suffering were becoming boring and annoying. Was it because she wasn't the one causing them or because they just kept on ringing in her ears? Either way, she didn't get much sleep last night as a result. She was looking into her cup of coffee, a desperate effort to fight off her tiredness, when she felt him coming.

“Ichigo is here.” She announced, quickly standing up and heading for the door. Run and Seryu followed her while Bols and Wave needed to put their cooking on pause so the meal wouldn't get ruined and joined their teammates as Ichigo descended like an angel from on high. Only Esdeath could see the construct of Reishi and the former Night Raid assassin at his side. “What prompted this visit?” The general asked before noticing a severed head in Ichigo's hands that he soon tossed to her. The hair had changed in length and color, but it was undeniably Dr. Stylish.

“He followed and attacked me.” Ichigo answered the unasked question while shock and confusion ran through the rest of the Jaegers, Seryu feeling heartbreak and anger. “I fought and killed him for that, especially when he threw his remaining humanity away in an effort to kill me. His sins are manifold and the fate I subjected him to is truly a Hell for his black heart.” Esdeath could only sigh in acceptance and was about to order an investigation into the doctor, when a white blur flew past her and struck Ichigo, embedding him in the wall around the base courtyard.

“KORO! KILL HIM!” Seryu roared, nothing but rage and hate in her eyes. “There is no justice with him. The Shinigami doesn't understand justice. I'LL ENSURE DEATH KNOWS JUSTICE!” Koro turned big and bulky, punching at Ichigo with furious abandon. Sheele wanted to stop this, help her comrade and commander, but Ichigo forbade her from interfereing since he expected this would happen. The Jaegers wanted to act as well, but Esdeath stopped them. This was Seryu's matter and if Ichigo didn't kill her, then she would. The poor girl fully cracked and to kill her would be a mercy. In a way, she pitied the poor soul. “Koro, numbers 2, 7, and 8!” Seryu called out after Ichigo was sent flying into the middle of the street, making the Teigu jump back to her and switch out her right arm with a massive anti-tank barrel with her left arm gaining an arm mounted missile pod and an additional four missile pods hanging on her back. “Justice Volley Fire!” She roared, firing a barrage of missiles and anti-tanks shells at the Soul Reaper.

'In the middle of the capital!? Is she THAT CRAZY!?' Ichigo wondered in shock as the attack closed in on him. “Bakudo #81, Danku.” He chanted, creating three long clear walls that he used to concentrate the volley and keep the populace safe. He didn't have the chance to focus on deflecting the attack on him and strengthened his Hierro and Blut defenses instead. The tank shells struck him like a punch with every hit and the explosions engulfed him in flames with every strike, Seryu laughing madly at bathing the man in fire.

“Take that, false Shinigami!” She cackled madly, firing until she ran out of missiles. “Koro! Number 6!” The dog Teigu bit onto her entire upper body and spat her back out, with a massive armor reinforced missile with a large 6 on the body. “BURN IN THE FLAMES OF JUSTICE!” She shouted as she fired the missile, flying it straight down the path of Kido and straight to what she was sure was a pile of black viscera. The bomb exploded on contact, sending a tower of flame and pressure skyward and back to the Jaegers as the only places for it to escape. Esdeath generated a shield of ice to protect her and the others as they watched, the Jaegers and Sheele in shock, but herself with indifference. She wasn't even surprised to see Ichigo still standing and walking through the flames.

“Have to admit, that last one tickled.” The hybrid said, marching down the path with a finger in his ear to quell the ringing. His body was burned and his clothes in tatters, but both were regenerating quickly. Seryu was stunned silent before growling in anger.

“Koro! Number 1!” She shouted, having Koro bite onto her right arm and replacing it with a massive spiked ball. “Die!” She roared, throwing the ball at the Soul Reaper. Ichigo took hold of Zangetsu in its sealed state and flicked the steel ball aside, shattering it in the process. Seryu was undeterred. “Number 4 and 5!” Koro bit onto her again, replacing her left arm with a four flanged hook shot and her right arm with a giant drill. Ichigo raised an eyebrow as she shot the hook past him and started flying toward him, the drill spinning at full capacity. As she closed the gap, Ichigo reinforced his right hand and caught the drill, stopping it in mid-spin. Upon doing so, Seryu released both arms and shot back seconds before the drill suddenly exploded.

“Seriously, how many explosives do you have?” Ichigo asked, making his way through the smoke and fire once again. Seryu was panting from the rage and effort that was beginning to seem completely pointless with each one of her Ten Kings broken and out of ammo. Gritting her teeth in frustration, she was about to activate her last resort before Ichigo's next words froze her. “Is killing me so important that you'd disregard everything around you?” She looked around to see that the buildings were fine, no one was dead, but the street was in pieces. “I've been containing the damage you would have caused in your rampage, so I demand you calm down.” The Kido he kept up was dispelled by his will and Seryu forced herself back from using the bomb in her head, cursing herself for her rage letting her forget about the innocents that might get involved.

“Koro, number 3 and go berserk.” She ordered, having her Teigu bite down on her right arm and switch it out for a large blade. Koro himself bulked up and went red, ready to fight at full force. The pair charged at the lone Soul Reaper, whose back exploded with power and cut both of them in half. Seryu fell, her last weapon broken in half, her body from the waist down was gone, and Koro was at Ichigo's mercy. The Teigu started regenerating but was slashed to pieces until the core, a red orb the size of a baseball, was revealed and snatched away. Without it power source, the Teigu's body shriveled up and withered away into dust. “Captain... doctor... father... I'm sorry.” She started crying with what remained of her strength, the thought of justice failing to match the Death God flowing in her mind.

“For your sake, I hope you find Soul Society.” Ichigo said as he reached Seryu's body, gently took hold of her head, and snapped her neck to end her suffering. Sheele ran up to his side and before she could say anything, he gave her his orders. “I want you to deal with her. Remember what I said about unconditional equality and kindness. She doesn't get the chance to join us.” He said, rising to his feet and going over to the Jaegers. Most of whom seem conflicted about the situation.

“That's two of my subordinates you've killed.” Esdeath said plainly to him. “Stylish made a stupid choice in attacking you, but you caused Seryu to crack like that. How do you plan to make up for this?” Ichigo raised his eyebrow at the general's audaciousness while she thought about how to make Ichigo pay. “If I'm going to be a proper Soul Reaper, I'll need training. Why don't we discuss that while you take me on a date?” She offered, shocking the Jaegers at the massive mood shift and surprising Ichigo.

“Say wha?” He very intelligently responded, just before Esdeath hooked an arm around Ichigo's and began to pull him away.

“Don't you remember?” She said teasingly as she dragged him away. “I choose you to fall in love with.” Ichigo had to think for a moment before remembering what she wanted during their first fight.

'How does this keep happening?' He sighed before going along with her. The rest of the Jaegers were stuck with damage control in the aftermath of the fight, Kurome and Run keeping the populace calm while Wave organized the repair job. Bols was back in the kitchen when people kept running scared of him.

(With Sheele and Seryu)

“Damned Soul Reaper!” Seryu cursed as her soul left her lifeless body, gasping for breath as the struggles of a newly formed soul began. “Nothing I did worked... it was pointless... what good is justice now?” She wondered as tears started falling from her eyes. “I... I even lost Koro.” She struggled to hold it back, but she couldn't and began sobbing. “I failed justice. I failed everyone.” She cried out in anguish, more chains appearing and wrapping around her body while the one on her heart started pulling away and making a hole. She heard footsteps and saw someone she killed some time ago, the Night Raid assassin Sheele. Still with her purple hair and glasses, with a black Cheongsam and a katana at her side, showing that the assassin was like Ichigo. A Shinigami. “You... you're a Soul Reaper? How cruel is that Ichigo!? You should be in Hell!” She roared, getting to her feet and charging at Sheele, who pointed two fingers at the former Jaeger.

“Bakudo #1, Sai.” She calmly chanted, forcing Seryu's arms to lock behind her. The action threw off the girl's balance and she fell down, roaring and growling as she struggled to break free of the spell. Sheele released a sigh in relief, thankful that her usual klutziness didn't affect her this time, and walked over to the thrashing girl. “Even now you fight to try and condemn those you call evil, Seryu Ubiquitous, even though those very emotions could turn you into a monster.” She grabbed hold of Seryu's shoulder's and lifted her to eye level.

“Kill me and get it over with, but don't-” She started before freezing as Sheele hugged her. It wasn't the act itself, but the feelings she felt in that hug. Nothing less than care and comfort could be found in that embrace, so warm and gentle that Seryu felt like she could melt away in those arms, and it terrified her to no end. She tried to fight back, but couldn't even find it in her to struggle.

“When I was growing up, I lived in the lower districts of the capital.” Sheele said, holding Seryu gently in her arms. “I was always clumsy and was called useless by pretty much everyone, but I did have one friend who didn't mind that part of me. One day, her ex boyfriend came and attacked us. To protect her, I killed him and discovered the one thing I was good at. So I kept killing, always aiming my blade at criminals and those that hurt others. Eventually I was scouted by the Revolutionary Army, who showed me just how corrupt the Empire is and where I should direct my blade.” She squeezed Seryu a little tighter, who felt more tears escape from her eyes. “Maybe if we met sooner, we may have led different lives.” Sheele reached for her Zanpakuto and performed the Konso, lightly tapping Seryu's head and sending the former police girl off on the soul's journey. “Find peace, Seryu Ubiquitous.” Sheele said with a smiled, rising to her feet and following after Ichigo.

(Unknown Location)

“I'll be honest; if I didn't see your power in action first, then I wouldn't believe a single thing you just told me.” A man in a hooded trench coat said to another figure clad in a white and blue military uniform. The pair were talking over a fire and roasting a boar type Danger Beast, discussing the future of the world. “But let me see if I understand this. There are powerful spirit beings in this world, with power so great that no Teigu can threaten them, and the strongest of them is currently in the capital. You tell me that this person is a Soul Reaper and pretends to be all powerful when he is just as mortal as anyone else, and that your kind, the Quincy, are trying to kill him. Am I correct?”

“That certainly seems to be the gist of what is happening.” The Quincy returned. “If you are willing to help us in this mission, we will grant you the powers and abilities of the Quincy. Prove to be strong enough and our lord may find it fitting to grant you greater power.” The hooded man leaned back and thought about it, looking to a decimated village that held a battalion of the rebel army. All dead by that one Quincy.

“I did get a letter from my old man telling me to bring home something stronger than a Teigu.” He said before looking back to his companion, adopting a malicious grin. “Can I do whatever I want?”

“Our only desire is the death of Ichigo Kurosaki. If you can succeed with that, you can do whatever you want.”

“Then I believe we have a deal.”

(Illustrated Guide to Soul Reapers)

Stylish's Fate

Ichigo said he'd grant his wish, to research the realm of spirits and souls. Now here he was, in a lab with technology he never even dreamed off, more sophisticated than anything the Empire could've supplied him with. It was supposed to be his heaven, but Ichigo did warn that 'Mayuri' was not gentle, now he wondered if he was in Hell.

“I would compliment you on your accomplishments, but most of these were things I've finished before I was even a captain.” The deranged skeletal clown man said before pushing another needle into Stylish's skull. “But, you might prove somewhat useful to the members of Project Spearhead. Let's see how that will go, after we test if you can be turned into an AI.” Mayuri drove another needle in, making Stylish cry out in agony. “Don't worry, the data will definitely be secured. But you'll die. Painfully.” The lieutenant promised before activating the device and Stylish could feel his mind getting drained, slowly. Memories, ideas, all of it was disappearing and he couldn't do a thing to stop it. He screamed in horror seconds before he began to forget the faces of the other Jaegers.

Justice Lives On

“Get back here!” Ganju yelled out, riding his boar. He was chasing a short bald thief from the lower districts and has been avoiding capture for a long time. Now they found him and Ganju wasn't about to let the little bastard escape. Now if only Bonnie was better at getting around corners. “You can't run forever you thief!” Ganju roared as the man ran into the winding alleys, laughing the whole way.

“I'll never be caught by a goof like you!” He said before getting kicked in the face and falling flat on his back.

“Filthy criminal! Have you no shame!?” A girl yelled out, quickly moving into a practiced submission hold. “I got him sir!” She called out to Ganju, who analyzed the girl. She seemed to be in her mid twenties, had auburn hair that was kept in a ponytail that reached her shoulders, and wore a green shirt and shorts.

“Thanks Miss.” Ganju said as he cuffed the criminal before throwing him onto Bonnie's back, punching the man unconscious for good measure. “You seem new around here. What's your name?” Ganju asked her, killing her earlier good mood.

“I... I can't remember. I don't remember anything.” She admitted, looking depressed as she couldn't recall a thing from her past. “I just know that I can't stand criminals and injustice.” Ganju smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Well, if you can't remember your name, pick a new one. As for the other thing, you're in luck.” He proudly announced before pointing at himself. “I'm Ganju Shiba, third seat of squad 14 and head of the West Rukon division! Our squad dedicates ourselves to keeping the peace in the Rukon districts, and there's always a need for new recruits.” The girl smiled at the idea of being able to help keep the peace. “Come on, I'll take you to one of the training facilities so you can get started.” He climbed onto his boar and held out a hand. The girl thought for a moment before grabbing it.

“Call me Masayoshi!” She said with a smile.


	11. Sisters

(With Ichigo and Esdeath)

The icy general led him to one of her favorite stops in the capital, a simple ice cream stand. Apparently a regular as when the owner spotted her, he immediately scooped out two balls of white and green and gave it to her despite the line. Ichigo wasn't surprised, not when he thought of the corruption in the capital and the terrifying reputation that Esdeath maintained. The hybrid got himself a chocolate cone and the pair sat down, ready for a potentially lengthy discussion. Sheele wasn't with them as Ichigo ordered her to patrol the city for wandering souls.

“So,” Esdeath started, “I've seen Soul Reapers and I've seen Hollows. I watched as you commanded the latter with absolute authority and apparently make more of the former at your leisure.” Ichigo watched her as the two licked their frozen treats. “You've already told me that regular souls can become Hollows and I'm guessing that any soul has the potential to become a Shinigami, but some are closer to unlocking that potential than others. The only thing you haven't told me is the so called 'enemy' that you're facing.” The general surmised, going over everything she's observed. “Did I miss anything or can you tell me what kind of enemy it is that you need to gather your own forces?”

“There is something I didn't tell you about Hollows, but that's not important. For now at least.” Ichigo started, getting that out of the way now since he doubted the different levels of Menos Grande would ever be relevant for the general to know. “As for the enemy I face, they are called Quincy.” Ichigo held out his hand and manifested a Quincy bow. “Quincy are spiritually aware humans that learned to manipulate ambient spirit energy into weapons like this bow. Seems like something useful, but unfortunately they were unable to purify souls and instead often destroyed them. One Quincy in particular became their king and somehow made it so any Quincy connected to him could feed him power with every soul they slay. This forced the Soul Reapers into action with committing genocide on nearly all Quincy, except for two families as far as I know. My mother's and my cousin's. The first tried to stay out of the fighting while my cousin's family wanted to work WITH the Shinigami.”

“But if Soul Reapers tried to destroy all the Quincy, why would they want to work with their destroyers?” She asked, confused since Ichigo was against her 'strong devour the weak' philosophy. “And how are you a Soul Reaper if you're also a Quincy?”

“My soul has the powers of a Soul Reaper, Quincy, and Hollow, making me a hybrid being.” Ichigo answered, dispelling his bow. “As for why my cousin wanted to do that, why I wanted to help in that, is because our grandfather and previous Quincy master was among the last of the Quincy that supported coexistence, since the Shinigami were more of a reactive force rather than an active force. Not enough in the world of the Living to protect all the souls.”

“And the enemy Quincy survived the war and are building an army?” Esdeath guessed. “To think a war on such a scale happened and no one knows about it.”

'I'll tell her later.' Ichigo thought, not wanting to reveal the multiple dimensions beyond the realms of the dead just yet. “And their king is still alive.” He said, surprising Esdeath. “The ultimate enemy of my mentor, the current Commander of all Shinigami, for over a thousand years he's been building his strength and biding his time.” Ichigo clenched his fists, thinking of what he almost lost and what Yhwach tried to take from him. “And I will end this war once and for all.” He promised. Esdeath just watched him, breathing in his killing intent. Sounds like Ichigo's promise of a good battle will be kept. Enemies that threatened the balance of existence itself, that would be a grand battle to be a part of.

(Timeskip. Because.)

A month had passed since that day, nothing of great note occupying the time. The training Ichigo had Sheele, Bulat and Daidara go through finally paying off as each one managed to attain their respective Shikai. Sheele's and Daidara' resembled their Teigus while Bulat had a spear with a large blade, explaining to Ichigo that it was similar to Incursio's auxiliary weapon that could be summoned. With that power under their belts, Ichigo gave them a pass to join in the patrols of the capital. Bulat and Daidara were in a pair, searching the outskirts and edges of the capital while Ichigo and Sheele mainly patrolled the city itself. Despite his declared loyalty to the hybrid, Ichigo still didn't trust Daidara to not report Night Raid's location to Esdeath when he learns she can now see spirits.

Speaking of Esdeath, her training was going much slower. Since her humiliation with the Hollows, she realized her over reliance on her Teigu. Without it, she wasn't nearly as effective in combat. To fix that, Ichigo set up a some simple rules. When they're training, she cannot use her Teigu at all. If she breaks that rule, then the training is over. No spirit form for either of them until she can battle WITHOUT using her Teigu. In two weeks, she only managed to get ten minutes of actual training time with him. To fix that, she trained with Wave and Kurome to make up for the lack of training with Ichigo as her partner.

She ordered them NOT to hold back, wanting it to be as close to her training with the Shinigami as possible. It had the added benefit of helping Wave and Kurome improve their skills as well, becoming trusted partners on the battlefield. Kurome also got a lot closer to Wave, since the armor user also tended to get beat up pretty badly and she helped patch him up. That training did bear results as Esdeath had become less reliant on her Teigu, managing to get up to an hour by the end of the month. That was enough for Ichigo to decide it was time for proper Soul Reaper training, but he needed to take care of some other things first.

The first thing was the one he felt the most uneasy about, suspecting that some Vandenreich Quincy made their way into the dimension. If they did, then that means Yhwach found him and sent an assassination squad after him. That, or the Quincy would start recruiting from other dimensions like he was doing. Either way, he needed to put a stop to them before they gained too much of a foot hold in this world. The only problem was finding them and Ichigo was unable to find even a trace of their presence since that bandit fort. There was also that second matter he's been meaning to get to, forcing the two sisters to talk.

During what free time he had between patrols and training, he stole some more of Kurome's drugged cookies and began working on an antidote. It took him a few days to set his lab back up and a couple of weeks to make the detox medicine, but he was eventually successful. The next step was to get the sisters to actually sit down and talk, without trying to kill each other. Akame would be easy to convince to do this, she WANTS to save her sister. Kurome... might need to be forced... on second thought, he'll probably restrain and drag her there. When Ichigo told Akame it was time, she said she'd be waiting at the ruins that lie in the Gyou forest in the outskirts of the Empire. It was an important place to her and Kurome. Now Ichigo just needed to get Kurome.

(Gyou Forest: Later that night)

Akame was sitting amongst the ruins in the forest, just like she told Ichigo where to be. It was a nostalgic place, her old training ground with her sister while they were still together in service to the empire. Now it was either the last chance they might have to be together as siblings or Ichigo would pull off a miracle and bring them together again for good. This place was neutral ground, she had no weapons with her and all she had to do was wait.

“You ready to talk it out?” She heard him say, appearing out of nowhere with that insane speed of his. The assassin turn to see him, carrying an unconscious Kurome over his shoulder. “Don't worry, she's fine. I've just been running out of patience lately and... I was less than generous with giving her a choice.” The hybrid informed her as he sat Kurome against a wall. “Ready?” He asked her, Akame nodding in response. Ichigo snapped his fingers in front of her face, waking the girl up. Only he saw the small flash of Kido from the 'wake-up' spell.

“Wha... where?” Kurome asked, tired and groggy, as she tried to stand up. “What happened?” She got to her feet and froze as she slowly recognized her sister, the most precious person in her world. “Sis? Big sis!” She cheered with happiness at seeing her dearest sibling, while reaching for her weapon and only grabbing air. “What?”

“Ichigo wanted us to talk.” Akame told her younger sister. “And he said we weren't going to kill each other.” Kurome looked to the side to see the Shinigami and then analyzed her sister to find no weapons. “I never told him that we already said all that we could to each other, and he insisted on this meeting.” Ichigo perked up slightly, not knowing the extant of what Akame tried to do already. “I already tried asking you to leave the empire behind, leave the drugs and the killing, try to find a way to extend your life from the damage your 'training' did to you. And what was your response?” Akame asked her sister, who looked away, knowing the extant of the damage to her being.

“I told you that leaving the empire would be a betrayal of our fallen comrades.” Kurome finally answered. “It would also make our comrades at the time my enemies, and I couldn't bear to lose our comrades. …Losing you was rough, but I found a way to keep you with me forever when I kill you.”

“And I thought the only way I could save you was by ending your life.” Akame admitted, looking to Ichigo. “But someone reminded me that the job of the older sibling is to protect the younger ones, and I've done a pretty poor job of that in retrospect, haven't I?” Her hand went to her forehead, as if trying to hold back her tears. “I've should've tried to save you sooner. Should've tried harder to get you away from that place, even if I had to force you. Kicking and screaming.”

“I could never abandon my allies... even if the capital is mired in as much sin as it is.” Kurome admitted, twitching and feeling her own head as it started to throb. “I can't leave my allies... can't leave the empire...” She started to shake, it had been too long since her last dose.

“Okay, I'm starting to think there was a little bit more than drugs and trauma at play.” Ichigo suddenly said, walking up to Kurome. “Tell me, was there a special facility during your training?” He asked, Kurome desperately trying to remember all the details.

“....A room. A room where we were put to sleep sometimes.” She said, picking out bits and pieces from her memory. Then she doubled over and started screaming in pain.

“KUROME!” Akame cried out, terrified for her little sister and being torn by her own inability to help.

“Guess that's out of time.” Ichigo muttered, pulling out a syringe and stabbing it into Kurome's neck. He quickly injected the specialized detoxification antidote into her bloodstream and waited for it to take effect. It was quick in coming with the girl gagging before violently vomiting up a disgusting yellow and black bile from her stomach.

“KUROME!” Akame cried out, running to her sister's side as she began shaking rapidly and occasionally coughing up more bile. The color of which also shifting to green and red as years of poisons were forcibly expelled from her body. The assassin took her little sister in to her arms, holding her to herself as she began to sweat profusely. “She's burning up.” Akame said, feeling her sister's forehead. “What did you do to her!?” She demanded from Ichigo as he took her away from the Night Raid member.

“Full and rapid detoxification.” Ichigo answered, his own brotherly instincts compelling him to hold the girl in a comforting manner. “I said I'd help, but I never said it'd be pleasant. This is too many years of too many drugs being forcibly expelled from her system. To say nothing of her rehabilitation, she's going to be in for a rough few weeks to months.” Ichigo began to turn and walk away when Akame grabbed his cloak.

“You told me to talk it out with her, and we did.” She said, holding tight onto the Soul Reaper. “Now you're taking her away? You're taking her back to the empire? Why? Did you do this just to take her away from me again? Are we going to have to be enemies aga-”

“Just be patient Akame.” Ichigo suddenly said. “If it wasn't for my insistence that he do things fairly and justly, demanding he has evidence before publicly condemning the Prime Minister, Makoto would've had Honest's head on a spike long ago.” He turned and smiled at the red eyed assassin. “Don't worry Akame, I promise you that you'll be reunited as sisters.” Akame felt her face heat up, the Shinigami seeming like her own guardian angel and the promise making her place her full faith in him. The only other sound was Kurome throwing up on Ichigo's chest.

(Unknown mountain range)

Two days passed since the talk between the sisters and Kurome's forced detox treatment. Esdeath was not so pleased with the condition her subordinate was returned in, sickly and weak, but was willing to ignore it in favor of it saving the poor girl's life. Wave and Bols were on nursing duties while Kurome recovered from the ordeal and Esdeath was calmed with Ichigo's offer to have a full day of training with him instead of the small portions she's been forced to make due with. Makoto was also informed of what happened to Kurome and he ordered Budo to launch a surprise investigation into the matter, intending to shut down the drug and brainwashing operations with due haste. Till then, Esdeath was enjoying her time with Ichigo.

“Here I come!” The general shouted, in her Shinigami state with her body laying off to the side. Both her and Ichigo were at the summit of a random mountain in the outskirts of the capital, giving the general the combat she craved for. She charged at him with a downward swing, only for it to get brushed aside with ease and pushed back in the same motion. She turned and let the momentum help with the next swing, only for it to be caught in his fingers.

“I can't help but feel like this isn't helping you make any progress.” Ichigo said before ripping the nodachi from her hands and striking her in the gut, knocking the air out of her and making her drop to her knees. “Take five.” The hybrid casually ordered before returning her blade. He was about to take a seat when three Danger Beasts made their presence known, slowly stalking toward Esdeath's body. He put his Gigai Ring on and quickly killed the beasts with a single swing of one of his Zanpakuto before tossing them aside. All the while, Esdeath watched his two blades with interest.

“When we fought the first time, you only used one sword. I think it was called, 'Kyoka Suigetsu.'” The general suddenly said, gaining Ichigo attention as he removed his ring. “The second time you used the other, said 'Zangetsu', and it became two blades. Is there something I should know about these swords of ours?” Ichigo looked at her before unsheathing Zangetsu.

“Did you, even for a second, wonder why the sword you plunged into your chest changed so much?” He asked, holding the single sealed blade in front of her. “The Zanpakuto is more than just the sword you wield as a Soul Reaper, it's a reflection of yourself. Each blade unique to its master and its abilities represent that. My Zangetsu,” the blade splitting into its dual knives, “represents the two parts of my soul; Quincy and Shinigami. The Hollow is mixed with the Shinigami, before you ask.” He said, making Esdeath close her mouth. “When you learn the name of your Zanpakuto, you release its Shikai and the special abilities of that Zanpakuto.”

“But if the Zanpakuto is unique to its wielder, why do you have two?” She asked, pointing to his sheathed blade. “Is that because of the vast amount of power you command?”

“Yes and no.” Ichigo answered, resealing Zangetsu and sheathing it while grabbing Kyoka's hilt. “I have this blade from someone I fought to the death, using a forbidden technique of my Zangetsu. Doing so took his Zanpakuto away from him and made it my own, which I didn't see coming at the time.”

“Does that mean you have a way to continually grow stronger?” She asked, fascinated by the unlimited potential it represents.

“At the cost of another's life.” Ichigo insisted. “And I don't like doing so. I am content with the blades I currently have.” Esdeath stayed her tongue, knowing better than to try to push the angle. Instead she held out her blade, wondered, and changed the topic.

“How does a Zanpakuto get its name?”

“The spirit of the Zanpakuto will tell you in time.” She blinked in surprise at that information. The Zanpakuto has its own spirit, like her Devil's Extract had the remnants of the Danger Beast's mind? “When the Zanpakuto deems you worthy of its power, then it will speak to you.”

“But you just told me that the Zanpakuto is a reflection of the wielder. Why would it hold its power back from the rightful master?”

“Just because it's a reflection, doesn't mean you know what's looking back.” Ichigo answered, thinking back to some of his comrades that held their own powers back. “The strongest fighter I've known was unable to summon the power of his Zanpakuto for the longest time until he learned to accept his own power. He was terrified of his own strength because no one was ever strong enough to match him, so he subconsciously held back. If you want to hear the voice of your own Zanpakuto, Esdeath, you'll have to be willing to accept everything about yourself. Even the parts you might hate.” The general looked to her long katana and thought back on her life, believing that it was all pretty simple for her.

'I can't hear anything.' She admitted, gazing deep into the blade. Just then, underneath their feet, a Yin Yang symbol flashed into life with four 'li' trigrams surrounding it. The sudden appearance surprised the pair and soon made them vanish. No trace of the Shinigami, or Esdeath's body. They were gone.

“That ought to take him out of the picture.” A man said while removing his hooded trench coat, revealing a lean and fit tan skinned man with an X scar between his eyes. He also had white hair and golden eyes and wore a small skin tight shirt. “But that's only temporary. I thought you guys wanted him dead?”

“It's only by my power that we're even alive.” The man's companion said as he put on his uniform, though the man himself was transparently clear. Though they were out of danger, his voice still shuddered in fear. “Ichigo Kurosaki is NOT someone to underestimate Syura. It's better to secure our standing among the court NOW and wait for the proper moment to strike. If anyone has a chance to best that monster, it would be my king.”

“I still haven't met this 'king' of yours, but fine.” The named Syura acquiesced as they began to head for the capital. “I was planning to wait until my team got here to announce myself, but I can't wait to show you guys off.” He said with a twisted smile.

(Location: Unknown)

Ichigo and Esdeath stood on a beach, the latter slipping into her body while the former examined their surroundings.

“What the hell happened?”

(Illustrated Guide to Special Police)

Kurome's Kidnapping

Kurome and Wave were at the meeting table, the former cleaning out the latter's wounds from their latest training session with Esdeath, Run was reading in the corner, and Bols was making a nice dinner to help cheer up his teammates. Esdeath was making notes of strategy and her progress in making herself independent of her Teigu.

“Hey guys. I'm taking Kurome.” Ichigo announced, suddenly appearing in the meeting room. Before anyone could react, he held a hand in front of Kurome's face and the girl slumped over unconscious. “I'll return her later.” He said, throwing her over his shoulder and disappearing.

“...WHAT!?” Wave shouted. “Captain! We need to go-”

“It'll be fine. Not like any of us can stop him.” The general said, casually dismissing the kidnapping.

“But... I just finished baking cookies.” Bols said sadly, holding a steaming tray of cookies.

Kurome's Return

Wave was pacing about nervously, worried about his teammate and partner. He was torn between going after his partner and obeying his superior. Just as he was about to don his Grand Chariot and run out, Ichigo reappeared with Kurome in his arms.

“Take her.” He said, passing the girl to Wave. “She's detoxing from all the steroids and drugs in her systems. She'll be out for a while.” He turned to Esdeath, who was about to confiscate Wave's Teigu before Ichigo showed up. “She'll also be drastically weakened without the drugs to boost her strength, but she'll have a longer life. I need to go clean my clothes.” He said before disappearing again.

“What do you think he meant by that?” Wave asked, just before Kurome coughed up some bile into his face. “...Nevermind.”

Ichigo's Cleaner

Susanoo was setting his team's laundry out to dry when something fell on his head.

“Clean that up for me, would ya!?” Ichigo called down from high above before flashing to the hotspring. The living Teigu pulled the thing off his head, glaring to the sky before realizing what was in his hands.

'The regenerating fabric!' The Teigu thought in awe as he beamed, looking at the clothes.


	12. Unwanted Tropical Vacation

(Unknown Island)

“What the hell happened?” Ichigo asked, taking in the sight around him. The smell of the ocean, the warmth of the sun, the feel of the breeze, the tropical scenery behind them, and it all felt too real to be an illusion. His training with Kyoka Suigetsu made him intimately familiar with such things and he doubted any illusion of this world would hold him for long. He knelt down to the ground and tried to feel it out, sensing a large amount of Reishi now in the Earth. “Hey Esdeath, is there a Teigu that can transport people great distances?” He asked the general as she went to his side, now in her body.

“I've heard that there are Teigu with spatial abilities.” She answered, also trying to figure out where they were. “Unless you know of some abilities that can do that.”

“A couple actually.” Ichigo admitted, making Esdeath sigh as she expected that answer. “But the one that's similar to this is not one that I have mastered as of yet.” He guessed this might have been a sign that he's been neglecting his own studies, Hachi did include plenty of his own barrier spells in that mix and they've always been useful. Especially his works with 'time regression', no telling when Ichigo might need that ability. “Before anything else, we should get an idea of our surroundings.”

“On it.” Esdeath said, placing her hand on the ground and creating a pillar of ice that shot them high into the sky. The end result confirmed what the pair already suspected, they were on an uninhabited island in the middle of who knows where. “Quite the beautiful sight. Almost as if this were a date.”

“You're certainly thirsty.” Ichigo sighed, just before noticing a mountain suddenly moving. Ichigo quickly recognized it as the same kind of creature Stylish turned himself into in a desperate attempt to kill him. “Should've figured Stylish might've had more of those abominations hidden away.” He muttered, glad that he sentenced the mad doctor to Mayuri's care. The colossal monster turned toward them and began to charge, desperate to kill its targets.

“This should be fun.” Esdeath said with a smile, crossing her arms and readying the power of her Teigu to create a barrage of icicles, only to get chopped on the head by Ichigo's hand.

“No Teigu.” He told her. “You kill it without your ice powers.”

“Is now really the time for that?” She growled as the giant beast came baring down on them.

“Trial by fire. Prove your strength.” The hybrid answered, walking off the ice pillar, just as the behemoth slammed into it. The pillar snapped just above the monster's shoulder, with Esdeath running down the length and toward the Danger Beast. “Aim for the person on the forehead!” Ichigo called down, seeing a smirk on the general's face. She may get annoyed by being limited in her weaponry, but she couldn't deny the thrill of the challenge it forced on her. Enjoying the title of 'Empire's Strongest' and the Teigu that could be called the strongest of them all, made her forget the proper rush of battle.

'This is my path,' She thought to herself while charging toward the vulnerable human body on the head, 'I chose this path in order to fight in grander battles. Was I the strongest because of my powerful Teigu? No. I got my Teigu for being the strongest!' The colossal Danger Beast swung its massive hand toward her, attempting to crush her like an ant. At the last moment, she jumped in between the beast's fingers and through the attack to land on its arm. 'I didn't need my Teigu when I was rising in the ranks, I don't need it for every battle, when did I get so reliant on it!?' She thought while fighting down the urge to summon a massive spear of ice to impale the Danger Beast through the head, instead jumping with all her might toward her target. She closed the distance in seconds and swung at the restrained human body that was her target on the beast, cutting the figure in half. Ichigo nodding as he evaluated from high above.

“Hmmmm, six out of ten.” Ichigo said to himself, watching the beast fall over dead with Esdeath riding it the way down. “She already had an advantageous position and it looked like she was about to use her Teigu for a moment. Not to mention, that was a pretty obvious weak point if you could get to it.” He then noticed another colossal Danger beast, only without the human on the forehead, looked like it was partially melted, had two normal arms instead of one mechanical one, and wearing armor on its chest. “That should be more interesting.” He commented as it charged toward Esdeath's location.

“Another one?” She asked, panting from the effort in killing the first colossal Danger Beast. “Fine. Come to your death!” She roared as the behemoth came to her, bringing its hand down to grab and crush her. She ran underneath the hand and toward the legs of the beast just before it struck the ground. The ground shook with the force of his strike, making Esdeath trip up a bit with the sudden seismic shakes but she managed to keep her stride despite the tumble. When she regained her balance, she jumped up to the beast's arm and stabbed her blade into its flesh. She grunted from the thick resistance in the monster's flesh, though it gave her a good hand hold as it brought its arm up to look at her. She pried her blade free and charged to the head, the Danger Beast swinging its hand down to smash her. The process went on like that, she dodges the crushing blow, jumps onto the other arm, and continued on her way. From the beast's left forearm to the right wrist, running from the wrist to the elbow and bicep, jumping from the bicep onto the back of the left hand, and jumping into the armored collar from a very narrow window of opportunity.

“DIE!” She roared out, aiming her saber at where one would assume would be a vital artery of the beast. Unfortunately, her waning patience and physical exhaustion caused her thrust to be off and affected her judgment in the thickness of the monster's flesh, causing the saber to bend and snap. “Damn it!” She growled, throwing the hilt aside while avoiding some of the blade fragments. “I said DIE!” She roared out again, giving up on killing it without her Teigu and summoned up some ice spires. Three massive icicles speared into the beast, into the stomach, chest, and head, killing the beast and ending the fight. “DAMN IT! I failed!” She continued to growl, the bitter taste of defeat on her tongue.

“To be fair, we didn't know of the second one.” Ichigo said, suddenly appearing in front of her. He held out a hand, that she took, and he led her onto the Reishi platform he was using to fly before bringing them back down. “That was actually a little unfair to you, and I only said to kill the first one without your Teigu. Which you did.”

“You also said I shouldn't rely on it so much.” She said back to him. “That doing so would only hinder me while in spirit form.”

“Because you don't have your Teigu with you in that state.” Ichigo returned. “When you achieve your Shikai, it will likely be an ice elemental type.”

“Type? I thought you said 'every Zanpakuto is unique to its wielder.'” She said as they reached the ground, Ichigo grabbing a few fruits along the way.

“And they are. Every Zanpakuto takes a different form, but they usually end up in one of three categories. Melee, Kido, and elemental. The first is usually a full change in the weapon used, like a katana turning into a large ax or spear or something new for a new melee style. Kido types use specialized abilities, like Kyoka Suigetsu's ability of 'complete hypnosis', or this one I know that turns children's games into attacks. The last is the elemental class, which you are already familiar with since your Teigu is similar to my master's Zanpakuto. My master's Zanpakuto is a fire elemental and is considered the strongest offensive power among the 16 squads of Soul Reapers, with complete control of fire.”

“So same principal, but a different element.” She concluded, wondering what powers might reveal themselves in the future. “As much as I'm enjoying learning about my potential, we should explore our surroundings to figure out where we are exactly.”

“And our escape?” Ichigo asked, already thinking about how much energy he might expend flying himself back to the capital before adding Esdeath to that equation.

“Tame a flying Danger Beast, or that Teigu that sent us here might have a return effect.” Esdeath answered. “Let's look around first to gather information first.”

(Inside the Castle, Honest's hidden chambers)

“Damn. Damn. Damn it!” The good Prime Minister growled while he was stuffing his face on what resembled a large turkey leg, furiously chewing away and attempting to savor every bite while he poured over his reports, but his agitation made the meat taste bland. “I'm losing more funds, two more nobles that pay me are arrested, the assassination unit is getting purged because I wanted to ensure their loyalty and effectiveness, and that damn brat is wasting money on those beneath us!” He growled, furious that Makoto took more of the coffers to fund his 'clean-up' programs. Three full meals, health-care, and a generous day's wages for the job of cleaning up the city streets and repairing damaged buildings in the capital. With tools and equipment all supplied by the government. Fewer people were buying drugs from his dealers, less people were 'entertaining' some of his friends among the nobility and courts, and the quality of the gourmet they enjoy in the palace dropped significantly. All because that brat 'cares' about his people, the worthless masses and not the people that actually run the government. “How could this all fall apart!?”

“Trouble father?” He heard a familiar voice call out, turning to find a face he had not seen in quite some time. “Maybe I could be of assistance?” 

“Syura, my son, you've finally returned.” Honest said with a smile, not in joy of his child's return but at the addition of another useful pawn. “How were your travels and did you follow my instructions?” He asked, praying that his son managed to secure something that will be an ace against the Soul Reaper that's been ruining his life.

“The rest of the world proved to be an interesting place, with the only other advanced nation being the Western Kingdom.” The scarred face man answered. “The North and South nations don't even have firearms and I was unable to reach the Eastern country, but I did manage to find plenty of talented people to serve as a new team and secured most of us a Teigu. As for the last thing, 'find something to kill a god of death', that one pretty much fell into my lap.” Honest leaned in, interested in hearing what his son had found. “A group that came from another world, called the Quincy. They have a strong battalion and can make more Quincy if the people are willing to fight for them. And they have an interest in killing your Shinigami troublemaker. Ichigo Kurosaki, I think his name is?”

“That's wonderful news my boy!” Honest shouted, smiling madly at the thought of finally being rid of his ultimate problem. “When can I meet them?”

“My team will be here after they meet with the boss of the Quincy and get extra powered up.” The dark skinned man said. “As for a representative of the Quincy, he's been here the whole time.” Honest was surprised and looked around the room, searching for the representative before settling on his son. “I think. I can never keep track of that guy.” Syura admitted.

“I'm only seen when I want to be seen.” A voice suddenly said as the father and son finally saw a man in a white military uniform standing between them. He had wavy, slicked back blue hair, a hard and chiseled face, and pale white skin. “Sternritter H, the Hidden. Makiri Zolgen, at your service.” He said, with a slight bow. “You must be Honest.” He faced the Prime Minister, hiding a look of disgust and contempt for the fat man. “My comrades and I have no issue with assisting you, but I'll need to know what we can expect in the way of assets. Ichigo Kurosaki is more dangerous than you think.”

“I understand.” Honest admits, already thinking of how he might be able to worm his way into a good position with this new group. “I still have a few of the head civil officers in my pockets and I am the Prime Minister, though that position is currently being shared. If my 'partner' could disappear, I could have full authority again. Especially if you have some way to put that brat back under my control.” Zolgen was nodding as he tucked the information away in his mind. “Several martial arts masters and plenty of thugs willing to fight anyone for coin. Also, if that fool will do his job, I have a man that will be taking over this religious movement called 'the Path of Peace'. Plenty of people are part of that sect and could give us plenty of fodder to use. And finally, my own Teigu.” He said, pointing to his head-wear. “Erastone, able to destroy any other Teigu. That may be useful in the future, should the matter come to that.” He finished, the Quincy nodding the whole while. 'I won't say anything about Esdeath. I'm starting to think her battle lust is leading her away from me. Though, for the chance to fight him again, I'm hoping she'd take this opportunity.' He thought to himself.

“I see.” Makiri finally said before disappearing from sight. “I'll bring this up with my king. He may have some use of you, but you'll have to declare your undying devotion. He's generous to his vassals, but unforgiving to his enemies.” And just like that, the man was gone.

'So long as I can enjoy my long life to the fullest, I don't care about anything else.' Honest thought with a satisfied smirk, the turkey leg tasting delicious to him again.

(With Ichigo and Esdeath)

The two continued to gather information about the island they were stuck on; studying the flora and fauna, learning the new time-zone, hunting and fishing for meals, and using Esdeath's present knowledge of the geology of the empire gave them a rough idea of their present location. Her best estimate was somewhere along the southeastern edge of the Empire, though the distance from the mainland was unknown. During this entire time Ichigo kept watching and studying Esdeath, trying to satisfy his curiosity of the general. While they did talk of their history, Ichigo was reluctant to share too much about his family but he did get a lot more information on her in exchange.

'I've compared her to Zaraki, but it's probably more accurate to compare her to Unohana during her time as the Kenpachi.' Ichigo thought while the general stripped off her top, showing off her 'swimwear' and taking a relaxing dip in the ocean water. 'But where she killed to soothe her bloodlust, Esdeath has always enjoyed torturing her victims.' He thought back to the story she told him of the Partas clan and the hunts she was part of, how some of her favorite hunts required the prey to still be alive while she carved out her prize. 'She's perfectly sane, but an amoral sadist. Well, if she follows the animal mindset than I can and will tame her. I am the KING of Hollows.' He thought in finality, but there was still something he needed to know from her. “Hey Esdeath!” He called, gaining her attention while she held up a shell. “Why did you want to fall in love?”

“Why? Let's see...” She said, putting a finger to her chin as she thought. “I guess it was simple curiosity at first. Like I said the first time we met, I wondered what it would be like to fall in love. You appeared and met every single criteria I was thinking of in a lover, almost as if we were destined for each other. I'll admit, I was planning to be the more dominant partner in this relationship, but you've matched and exceeded me at every step. I want you, to make you mine, I desire to stand on your level, to make you look at me in a way to let me know we are each others.” The general said, blushing more and more before raising her hand to her chest, smiling the whole while. “You have so much to offer!”

“And what are you willing to do to make it work?” Ichigo asked, surprising her. “You've made a gamble in the sacrifice for power when I gave you the power of a Soul Reaper, which was a little unfair when I think about it. Will you abandon the empire if I ask? Will you stop torturing people I say shouldn't be tortured? What are you willing to do with and for me that proves your commitment to being my lover?” She didn't know what to say, the concept of what he was saying was pretty alien to her. “Your desire for a mate is instinctual, to find a worthy partner with the best genes to ensure strong and healthy offspring. Your feelings toward me are more infatuation and admiration, not of love. Love is something else and I am willing to teach you. But there's something I'll have to do first.” He said, walking toward her.

“And what is that?” She asked, feeling herself get hot. Right now she could tell that the man before her was an apex predator, and he was going to take what he desired. He reached her and cupped her cheek.

“I will make you mine.” He growled before pulling her in for a kiss and the general felt her body submit.

(Timeskip! Go to Other Awakenings you pervs!)

Hours passed, Ichigo standing vigilant in the place where they first appeared on the island, waiting for either the portal to appear or for a flying steed. There was a rustling in the leaves as Esdeath came out, her hair still wet from bathing in a freshwater stream and adjusting her clothes. She unashamedly displayed a dark hickey on her neck with a slight limp in her step as she went to his side, her hand slipping into his seamlessly. They remained silent and scanned the area, waiting for the time to be right. When Ichigo felt the Reishi in that area dissipate, he resolved to get the matter done himself. Would likely move faster than any Danger Beast they could catch too.

He took his hand out of Esdeath's and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, with her leaning into him before he swept her off her feet. Once firmly held in his arms, Ichigo started to float up and create a shield of Reishi around them. He then released a massive Pesquisa pulse and focused, waiting for a response. It took a few minutes, but he got the familiar sense of his subordinates' Reishi and thus the general direction back to the capital. There was something else that caught his attention, in a region far to the east of the capital. A particularly unusual spirit for this world, not a Quincy or Hollow, but something else. Then that light suddenly dimmed, almost fading away.

(Eastern City of Kyoroch)

“I was hoping to enjoy myself a bit more, but the Prime Minister apparently thought I needed to speed things up.” A man said, dressed like a priest in fine robes and a wide hat. He had a thick chin curtain beard with two extending points on the sides of his chin, smiling cruelly at the other man in the room. A slender and pale man with long white hair, slumped over on a table with his eyes rolled to the back of his head and foam coming out of his mouth. “Oh well, I'm sure I won't be too busy after I take over. You'll be deified, and I'll have plenty of love to share with the lost lambs of your flock... or should I say, my flock?” He said, laughing happily, as he went to enjoy himself with his 'flock'.

(Back with Ichigo)

'I should probably check that out at some point.' Ichigo thought as he and Esdeath flew through the night sky, accelerating a little bit more in response to the dimming light.


	13. Restored Path

(With Ichigo)

For the hybrid, it was an annoyingly long flight back to the Capital. Esdeath was still cradled in his arms, having no practice in Shunpo or Reishi manipulation left her with little choice other than to be carried like a bride in his arms. There's one thing he liked about the general, she didn't tease him in matters like these. Likely due to 'taming' her, as she would put it. After a few hours, they successfully returned back to the Capital. Night when they left that empty island and morning upon their return.

The effort was taxing, trying to prevent major health risks while flying at high speeds while in a flesh and blood body, but they succeeded and Ichigo would be happy to just collapse on the couch in the Jaegers base. Esdeath had plenty of rest, sleeping in his arms. She was cute in her 'innocent' moments... too bad there weren't many of them when he isn't around. He landed in front of the headquarters, letting Esdeath get on her feet, and entered the empty building. Well, mostly empty. They were greeted to the sight of Kurome, using her sword like a crutch as she tried to get to the door.

“Cap... tain... AH!” The assassin girl started before slipping, Esdeath quickly catching her subordinate. “I'm... cold.” She was shivering despite the high fever, not nearly recovered from her detoxing.

“Let's get you back to bed Kurome. You know you shouldn't be walking, not in your condition.” Esdeath quickly scolded, picking up her subordinate. Once she did, Kurome latched onto the general's shirt sleeve.

“I-I'm still a useful member of this team... right?” She asked, almost terrified of the answer. “I can still remain... please?” Again, Ichigo had to suspect the conditioning and whatever trauma she must've gone through during her assassin training.

“I'll train you myself Kurome.” Esdeath suddenly promised, holding a caring, almost motherly, smile on her face. “You'll surpass your old self in no time. I promise.” Kurome looked so relieved, she was about to break down in tears.

“There was a Night Raid sighting.” She suddenly said, surprising both of them. “It looked like they were heading East to Kyoroch. Run took command and left with Bols and Wave, but Night Raid has a day's lead on them and I would've slowed them down. I insisted that I go along, despite my state.” Esdeath held Kurome to her, stroking the girl's hair. “I... I didn't want to be abandoned.” She admitted, Ichigo joining in on the hug.

“I already told your sister, but just be patient.” He said, pulling back to look her in the eye. “You two WILL be a family again.”

“And I'm going to have a few words with Wave about teams and partners sticking together.” Esdeath promised, with a smile that promised to hurt Wave later on. “Now let's go!” She said, carrying Kurome with her as she went to wherever she kept her dragon. Not like it could stay with the horses. Ichigo was about to dismiss it as none of his concern, until he remembered that they were heading East. He felt a spiritual disturbance to the East of the Capital while they were on the island, and now Night Raid was heading in that direction. He released a powerful Pesquisa pulse in that direction, getting the information minutes later. Jaegers a few miles from the outskirts of the Capital, Night Raid indeed having a day's lead on them, and that unusual spirit even further out.

'I did say I should check that out, but maybe I'll pick up some information before I head out.' Ichigo thought as he removed his Gigai Ring and flashed directly to Night Raid's base. “Hey Marik, or Bulat, or whoever! Someone get out here and tell me what I missed!” Answering the summons, Marik appeared before his king and knelt down.

“My master, I knew you were fine.” He quickly said before giving his report. “Apparently, while Night Raid was forced to lay low due to the Jaegers creation, the attack on the previous base, and your own actions in the Capital putting everyone on high alert, the Prime Minister was able to accelerate his plans in the East where a religious cult called 'The Path of Peace' has put their main base. The previous leader of the group was reported to have recently died and the new head is a man on Honest's pay. The plan of the Revolutionary army was to use the uprising of the Path of Peace in the East in a three pronged attack with the Western Kingdom as the third force.”

“Interesting. What are the new leader's other crimes?” Ichigo asked, already suspecting the man's soul to be black with sin. “On top of killing his predecessor.”

“From what I heard, he drugs the people in the congregation to become his slaves and sex toys.” Ichigo felt his fist clench, hard enough that his nails pierced through his skin and the pain didn't even register in his mind. “Your orders?” Marik asked, making Ichigo take a breath and sigh with regret.

“Our duty as Soul Reapers is not to interfere with the Living, but to protect the Dead.” The hybrid answered. “As much as I want to see him die, I must stay my hand. That said,” Ichigo perked up, “I think I'll head over to the East anyway. Something is not right there, and who knows. Maybe I'll get there in time to watch him turn into a Hollow and send him to Hell the hard way.” The Shinigami scowled, promising himself to see the man sent to Hell. “I'm off.” He said before flashing away.

(At Kyoroch)

“Our Lord, our dearest friend and teacher, is making his journey to the blessed divine.” Borik told the congregation of followers, with the body of the Lord of the Path of Peach held inside a glass display case. “However, it is taking him time to complete because he is taking all of our fallen brothers and sisters with him.” The halls were filled with wails of sorrow and pain as they pleaded for their teacher and leader's safe passage. “But, his mission is at risk. Before he died, he delivered me a vision. A warning of a demon, a demon dressed in black with a head of fire will come and he will try to drag our beloved Lord into oblivion.” The sadness turned to anger as the people condemned the demon. “Be vigilant, be ready, for we must protect our Lord.” The people began to burst into action, the priest smiling as he descended the stairs to head for his private room in the inner sanctum. He was away from his 'playthings' for long enough.

“I'm surprised no one could tell how insincere you were.” A man said from around the corner, one of four people that were constantly guarding him since he began his mission in the Path of Peace. “But then again, they are desperate for direction. And you just pointed them at our target.” The man was Sten, a large and heavily muscled man with a thick black beard that went up past his ears in two pointed tips, with a long braid from the back of his otherwise bald head. He had prominent circles around his yellow eyes. He wore Gi pants with half a top covering his left torso with a black pauldron and black metal armbands. “Keep in mind that the Prime Minister considers his death more important than your life Borik.”

“Honest is just being paranoid.” The priest dismissed casually. “It's just a person with a Teigu putting up impressive theatrics. You and the other Rakshasha Demons have killed Teigu user's before. How should he be any different?” Rakshasha Demons, the personal execution squad of the Prime Minister. Each one a master of the Imperial Fist martial arts style and have undergone strict training practices to control and manipulate their bodies, putting them on par with Teigu users with nothing more than physical ability.

“It takes a lot to make him uneasy, and apparently this 'Ichigo Kurosaki' character has been scaring him since he first showed up and declared himself a 'Shinigami'.” Sten returned, privately grinning to himself at the prospect of a challenging opponent. 

“That so called 'Death God' also made it clear he values the lives of the people. I've just turned the people against him, so you have that going for you as well.” Borik said, getting more annoyed. “The matter can be left in your hands. I'm busy for my appointment.” The priest smiled lecherously at the thought of his meeting with his personal flock.

“Well, if nothing else, this should be fun.” Another voice from behind Sten said, sounding nonchalant and expecting some fun. The man turned to find his fellow Demon, Mez. A rather short and petite girl with a heavy tan and blonde hair that was worn in pigtails and held together with small metal horseshoes, actually considerable weights to slow her down. Like Sten, she wore metal armbands and Gi pants, but she also had a loose shirt that put her body on display with a white bikini top covering her breasts. “You think that Soul Reaper is really as strong as the report says Sten?”

“It should be a fun battle Mez.” He replied with a ready smirk. “And we will release the soul of the would-be reaper.” Just then, another of their number came running to them. She outfit resembled a Shinto shrine maiden with black hair in a 'Hime' cut in the front and a short messy ponytail in the back. The kimono was loose and showed her cleavage, with a breast guard on her right breast keeping the outfit from opening completely.

“He's here,” She reported to the two, “Ibara's already confronting him.”

(Earlier)

“So much easier.” He said, finishing the journey from Night Raid's base to Kyoroch in seconds. Times like this, he was glad for his speed as a spirit and it felt good to push that limit after spending hours going not nearly fast enough. Now he stood outside the city, slipping on his Gigai Ring, and walked to enter the desert civilization. The architecture of the buildings reminded the hybrid of his own world's Middle East and desert nations with a bit of Turkish designs as well. He then tried to feel the mood of the city, and it was far worse than in the Capital's slums. The sense of despair and hopelessness hung so thick he could probably cut it. Whoever the leader of the Path of Peace was, it was clear that he was truly loved and adored. 'Must've been a really good guy.' He thought to himself, walking among the populace.

“YOU!” He suddenly heard someone shout, finding a tall and pale man. He plenty of lean muscle, purple hair with a ponytail and framing bangs around his black eyes, red line tattoos going from his eyes down to his hands with stitch marks on the borders and circling his head. He only wore a pair of shorts and black metal armbands. “The demon that would drag the Lord to the darkness!”

“What?” Ichigo asked, not expecting this. He didn't even notice the people slowly perking up.

“The Lord said on his death bed that a demon, dressed in darkness with head of fire, will come and drag his soul to damnation!” The man continued to yell.

“What?” Ichigo repeated, now more annoyed as he started to suspect this was staged.

“Demon! You will not take him! We WILL stop you!” He roared, the people suddenly brandishing improvised weapons and throwing rocks.

'I'm not dealing with this.' The hybrid decided, easily dodging everything as the group charged at him. Before they could reach him, he disappeared from their sight. “Tell me, how lovely are these falling blossoms?” He reappeared between the crowd and the man. They were about to charge, when they saw dark cherry blossoms suddenly falling all around them. Within seconds, everyone was asleep. “Hakufuku, you don't get enough credit for a Kido spell.” He said before attempting to investigate the man that started the near riot, only stopping to dodge out of the way of something he heard flying toward him.

“Damn. Missed.” The Shinigami looked up to see three more people, a man and two women, appear. “Maybe he's not just all hype.”

“Who the hell are you?” Ichigo called out, sensing something was off about the three... four if he included the sleeping guy that was getting woken up by one of the girls.

“We're the Rakshasha Demons. The strongest masters of the Imperial Fist style.” The man said before introducing his team. “I'm Sten, the dark one is Mez, the other girl is Suzuka, and that guy is Ibara.” The four spread out, poising to attack. “And we're here to kill you.” Ichigo raised an eyebrow and then bolted, stunning the four. “AFTER HIM!” Sten roared as they gave chase.

(With Ichigo)

'Gotta get some distance between us and the civilians.' Ichigo thought as he looked for a more proper battlefield, settling on a field near the city's edge. 'Okay, now that THAT'S done, time to focus on the fight. Maybe my Hakuda against their Imperial Fist. Been a while since I did just plain martial arts.' He was brought out of his musing when he heard something zipping through the air, jumping to avoid... nails... that were extending from Sten's hand. 'That's new.' He thought as the other Rakshasha Demons tried to spear him with their nails as well, Ichigo dodging by skating around on Hirenkyaku. 'Okay, that's not a Teigu. But they feel human.' “Pretty odd style to use your nails like that!” He said after landing, hoping they were both arrogant and stupid enough to boast.

“The training is to strengthen our bodies and allow us to control them to our desire.” Ibara said, Ichigo pleased he fell for it and disappointed at the cliché, while the martial artist seemed to stretch and flex his shoulders. “The broth of the Lake Kraken Danger Beast allows us to to do things like this!” He threw an arm at him like a bullet, his nails extending along with the entire arm and doubling the speed of the attack. The nails touched Ichigo's gut and then bent and broke, shocking all four of the Demons as Ichigo's veins began to glow blue.

“You're not the only ones to undergo harsh training for the martial arts.” He said before flashing in front of Ibara, thrusting an open palm at the man's chest. “Tessho.” Ichigo spoke upon contact, sending the Demon flying back with an indention on his body from Ichigo's attack. “So do you want to see which is stronger? My skills or yours?” Sten glared at him, Mez smiled, and Suzuka looked... excited. Not Esdeath excited, she reminded him more of Nel when she was being 'punished'. 'Not another one.' He sighed before dodging another stream of attacks from all sides, swiftly getting into a handstand and spun around with his legs out. The Demons forced themselves back due to the speed of Ichigo's spin and seeing what he did to Ibara made them more cautious.

“You'll pay for that!” Ibara roared, coming back to the fray, shooting his arm at Ichigo. The hybrid dodged and caught him by the wrist before crushing it in his grip. “AHHH!” The Demon screamed in pain, just before Ichigo yanked on his arm. The pale martial artist flew to the Soul Reaper, who ducked as he flew above him, and saw Ichigo pulled again in the opposite direction. There was a sickening crack and tear as Ibara's arm was torn off, shoulder and all, and Ichigo did a backflip to kick the Demon away.

'When did I start to get so violent?' Ichigo wondered, thinking back to a time when he would at least offer the chance to join him with some of his foes. 'This world is doing things to me.' He was again brought out of his thoughts when he noticed the ground was now covered in a new liquid. 'Oil?' He thought, sniffing the air. 'Sweat?' He then saw Mez rushing at him, flying through the air. On reflex, he tried to shift his footing to prepare for the next attack and ended up slipping.

“Got you!” She called out, throwing an extending punch while Suzuka threw an extending kick at his leg, and Sten shot his nails and his beard, all at Ichigo's heart. The combined attacks threw Ichigo off his feet and sent him flying back by quite the distance, though his hardened skin protected him from the worst. The oily sweat made keeping his footing difficult, until he resorted to using Hirenkyaku to get back on his feet.

“Ikkotsu.” Ichigo whispered, before flashing in front of Sten and slamming his fist into the man's guts. Sten began to turn and shift as Ichigo made contact with him, avoiding the worst damage, but getting much of his abs and side ripped off from the force and friction. The man dropped to his knees, screaming in agony as he grasped his wound as if it would stop the bleeding or his organs from spilling out. “What do you think of your odds now?” He asked, sensing that Ibara was back and attempting to attack him despite his mangled body, along with Mez and Suzuka. Ibara was dodged altogether, Mez got a rib shattering kick to her side that threw her into Sten and Ibara, and Suzuka was pinned under Ichigo's foot and ready for it to snap her neck. “Okay. Play time is over, who sent you to kill me? I have an idea, but I want to confirm it.”

“The,” Mez started while coughing out blood, “the Prime Minister.” The others looked at her with anger and a sense of betrayal. “Oh what? Like it makes any difference whether I tell him or not?” Ichigo took a deep breath, which did little to calm him down.

“I'm starting to lose my patience with that man and this bullshit.” He growled before unleashing his Reiatsu. The effect was immediate as they were crushed under the weight of his pressure, all of them suffocating from the sudden lack of oxygen in their lungs... Suzuka looked like she was enjoying herself though. “I didn't come here expecting a fight. I was hoping that the Prime Minister would learn to leave me to my own devices. Instead, this happens. Someone challenges me.” His veins turned red as he charged his Blut Arterie. “And then they die. Maybe if I stay like this, they'll leave me alone.” His black Reishi swirled around him for a few seconds, eventually revealing Ichigo in his Vasto Lorde state. “Maybe then, he'll end his interference.” He put his fingers against Ibara's forehead and prepared to flick. “Or maybe, I'll accelerate Makoto's attempts to find him guilty and be rid of him like so.” He released his finger and blew off the top part of Ibara's head. “But for now, I'm content with taking my anger out on you.” He said before punching Sten's head into a red mist, decapitating Mez, and crushing Suzuka's neck. He then reverted back to human form and removed his Gigai ring, less likely to get involved in another attack that way.

“Is... is this what the afterlife is!?” He heard Mez gasp as the four now became newborn spirits.

“No. Not sure what your lingering attachments are, but you're not in the afterlife yet.” Ichigo answered. “I'm going to go deal with something first. Until I return, think about whether you wish to pass on or join me.” He then disappeared, leaving the four martial artists alone to think.

(Path of Peace Cathedral)

'Finally.' He thought, flashing in front of the temple gates. 'Now, the disturbance seems to be here. Let's see what it is.' Due to having been attacked earlier, he decided to stay in spirit form for the time being. Probably should've done that from the beginning, but he wanted to experience the city for a little bit. He phased through the wall and found a massive throng of people, singing hymns of passing and sorrow and hope in a hopeless world, but the thing that stood out the most was the clear glass display casket and the pale man in chains pleading to the people.

“Remember the point of it all!” The man called out, still preaching to his people despite his current state. “Do good to and for others, never be cruel, always remember those that walked the path with you, and persevere throughout all the hate! Do not give in to hatred!” He continued until he saw Ichigo walking toward him. “Do not fear death, for the passing of the soul is not the end. He is not the demon that Borik named him as. He is the Reaper and I-”

“Just stop already.” The hybrid said, somewhat annoyed. “I'm not an actual god, just a being that helps souls pass on.” The spirit of the man looked confused.

“What do you call that, if not a god like being?” He asked the Shinigami.

“I don't want unrealistic expectations. Okay?” He answered as he scanned the man. He... surprisingly didn't feel human. There was something else to him that was enough to make him inhuman, but what was it?

“I understand.” The soul said, nodding. He too encountered people that expected greater things than he could deliver. Undoing someone's death was a recurring matter, but beyond his power. “But if I may, could you tell them the truth of my passing?” He asked Ichigo, who was barely listening as he studied the man's body. “I made a poor decision in trusting my adviser Borik, for he-”

'Is he?' Ichigo wondered as he felt a tinge of life still in the body, finding the chain on the man's soul was still connected to his physical form. He went through the glass and placed his ear against the man's chest and listened, drowning out everything else. After a few seconds, his eyes widened. “Alive.” He said, silencing the spirit. “You're in a coma, but still alive.... How?!” He yelled, doing a quick diagnostic check on the man. “Mix of drug overdose, cardiac arrest, and... yeah, a stroke. And your body is still alive.” Ichigo put on his Gigai Ring and broke open the glass, blowing away the shards before they could cut the body and also scaring the congregation. “I don't know what this falls under, but I know this. I only send those that have already passed on, not those with life still in their veins.” He grabbed the man by his soul chain. “Get back to life!” He roared before shoving the soul back into the body, ignorant of the many people that recognized him as 'The Demon' and began to charge at him. All were silenced as a deafening gasp filled the air.

“I'm... I'm back?” The man said as people slowly reached out to him, almost scared to find it to be a lie. “My friends, my family. I'm alive.” He got to his feet and laughed. “I'm alive again!”

“Lord... our good deeds did come back to us.” A woman said, tears filling her eyes. “Our Lord is back.” She reached out and he took her hand.

“Rakul was your husband Ageth. And I remember you as well.” He turned to his people as the woman began crying tears of joy. “My soul was removed from my body, but my flesh did not die.” He announced, the people calling it a miracle. “The 'Demon' Borik told you of was in fact the Reaper of Souls. I thought he had come to deliver me to the land of God, but it seems the opposite was true. I was not yet ready to depart and not yet truly dead. He restored my life, which I will continue to live with our message in mind. Be good! Be kind!”

“LORD! LORD! LORD!” The people chanted, bringing a smile to Ichigo's face. Finally, a decent happy ending. “PRAISE TO THE SOUL REAPER THAT RETURNED HIM TO US!” That part was less appreciated, but all were silenced when the Lord raised his hand again.

“Now listen, and listen till the end.” He said, taking a deep breath. “I was not stricken with illness, but was betrayed and poisoned.” The people gasped in horror and shock, which quickly gave way to anger. “I forgive him!” The Lord announced, surprising everyone. “I forgive the one that betrayed me, for if I held hate in my heart for him, then everything I stood for would become meaningless. I will not give in to my hate, my anger, but I will still see him punished. Not out of personal vengeance, but for betraying the Path and its people.” He turned to Ichigo and bowed. “May I ask for your protection in this? I doubt that he would leave gracefully.”

“Lead the way.” Ichigo said, as the prophet made his way to find the man that betrayed him.

(Inner Sanctum)

Borik was indulging in the pleasures of the flesh with one of his more recent inductees, eyes still glazed over from the drugs she drank, all without a care in the world. That is until he heard a commotion, not the singing of the memorial service that the people were holding of their choice. Soon he heard the calls of 'punishment' and 'heathen' all getting louder and louder. The confusion pulled him away from having his way with his slave, only to be utterly shocked when his last personal bodyguard, Horimaka, blew through the door.

“Your Teigu is pointless if you don't actually use it!” He heard someone say, looking to the door to find a certain Soul Reaper with a scythe in hand, the entire congregation, and a still living Lord. His deceptions were laid bare for the people, his guards were all dead, even if he made it out of here then Honest would dispose of him. He had no hope of escape.

“M-m-my Lord!” Borik started, turning into a sniveling wreck of desperation, covered his lower half and stumbled toward the inhuman priest. “Y-y-y-y-you have returned to us! Truly, you are a-”

“Borik, you are excommunicated from the Path of Peace.” The Lord stated with finality. There was no mercy, no love, not even hate. Just that, a sentence. “You have betrayed the teachings, lied to my followers, and sought to bring the entire movement to ruin. And why? Because you were a slave to your greed. I'm sorry that I failed to save you, but I cannot help those that only indulge themselves.” He turned away while the people of the church ransacked his office and documents to find where the other members of the church were and what Borik used to poison them.

“Please my Lord!” Borik cried out, tears falling from his face before he tripped and fell. He abandoned any sense of modesty and shame as he crawled to the Lord helplessly desperate and naked. “I was wrong! I've seen this miracle of your revival for myself! I-”

“Just want to save your own disgusting hide.” Ichigo growled getting in front of him. “You're not actually repenting, you just don't want to die. Like a filthy coward.” The rage Ichigo felt toward the man boiled as Ichigo could smell the stench of sin on the man, almost as foul as Honest's own presence. “Here's my own prophecy for you.” The hybrid said as he slowly turned to his more Hollow form. “You will be abandoned by the people and forced out into the desert with nothing more than the skin on your back. Even if you survive the heat, the weather, and the beasts, you will be hunted by agents of that corrupt master of yours as punishment for this failure. You will become a soul and I will wait until you succumbed to the rot of hunger and madness that will turn you into a monster. After that, I will find you, break you, and when you lay on the border of your second pathetic death at my feet, then I will send you to your final punishment in Hell!” He roared, feeling something burn inside of him as the Gates of Hell suddenly appeared.

“What are those!?” The Lord called out in fear, Ichigo himself looking surprised at their presence.

'Did... did I summon them at will?' Ichigo wondered as they opened and chains flew out toward Borik, who screamed in pain as he was impaled. Soon, his body's screams stopped as his flesh fell dead and his soul was ripped into Hell.

“My Lord! What did you see?! What happened!?” The people begged and asked their leader.

“Boric... I think he was dragged into Hell.” He turned to Ichigo. “That's where those gates led to right? To Hell?” The hybrid nodded, noting that this person or, maybe thing, could see things on the spiritual plane. Figured he'd run into someone that could at some point. Ichigo then began puking up black ooze.

“Not this again.” He muttered before retching out another torrent of blood and blackness. “I need to rest.” Ichigo ripped off his Gigai Ring and collapsed, the Lord catching him as he fell.

“You returned light to my people Soul Reaper.” He said as he lifted Ichigo and turned to his congregation. “Let us guard you while you sleep.”

(Ichigo's inner world)

“Well... haven't seen this in a while.” He said, standing in the wasteland of Hell's deepest level. Where he was granted the power of the Kushanada and sealed Kokuto away for eternity. “Am I going to get any answers as to what's going on?”

“Yes.” Ichigo heard a familiar voice, turning to find a single Kushanada towering above him. “You will learn of your powers over Hell.”

(Illustrated Guide to Teigu Users)

New God

It was the third day of the Lord's revival and the people continued to celebrate. More converted to the Path of Peace and a new idol was made to stand with the god of the Path. It was a sharp contrast to the more peaceful looking bull esque deity that many associated the religion with. With sharp angular horns, fearsome claws, the presence of two swords at the hip, and a skull like face, it was a fearsome image. Like the previous god this new deity was nameless, only known as 'Guardian of Souls'. Word of his intervention with the sinner Boric and the revival of the Lord spread like fire, returning joy to the people as they praised that god as well. A god to bless them for their good deeds and a god to protect their souls from the corruption of others.

“That's Ichigo, isn't it?” Lubbock asked, some of his fellow Night Raid assassins in disguise with Chelsea's Gaia Foundation Teigu and confused as hell by what they found. “He apparently sent our target to Hell itself, brought a man back from the dead, and is now a god. I feel so inadequate.”

“Implying you could even compete in the first place.” Leone snickered, Mine and Chelsea joining in.

“Shut up!” He whispered loudly, Tatsumi offering a sympathetic pat on the back. Just then, Esdeath and her Jaegers entered the cathedral, just as they began to give thanks to the 'Guardian'.

“Ichigo?” She asked, seeing her beloved sleeping and venerated as a deity. “... I'm officially mated to a god... That's hot.” She smiled, disturbing both her team and Night Raid.

“She's not wrong.” Leone whispered.


	14. Beginnings of the New War

(Kyoroch)

Three days. Three days since the Lord's resurrection. Three days since Borik's banishment into Hell. Three days since the rise of the Guardian of Souls deity among the Path of Peace. Three days since the true figure of that god was laid to rest in the temple. Three days Ichigo Kurosaki slept a deep sleep. Three days since the hybrid killed the Rakshasha Demons and gave them the choice to join him or be sent to their afterlife.

“So... he's been gone for three days... and we're still here.” Ibara pointed out as he and the other demons waited on their graves, doing nothing. “Shouldn't we... do something?”

“You want to risk falling to Hell?” Mez asked, leaning against the pile of dirt and pole serving as her grave marker. “If those stories are accurate, that Soul Reaper made the gates of Hell appear and ripped Boric's soul out of his body. Hell is real, we've committed plenty of sins, and were given a choice.”

“Serve the Shinigami, or chance our damnation.” Suzuka continued, remembering their only two options. “As much as I like feeling pain, I doubt my eternal suffering would be so generous.”

“Chances are that he'd want us to turn against the Prime Minister.” Sten chimed in, doing push-ups of all things. “Not that anyone can really blame him, Honest did try to have him killed. Still, can you blame Honest for wanting him dead?”

“I just followed orders.” Mez answered, taking the moment to stretch out. “Never really cared about the Prime Minister or his schemes. Besides, Ichigo looks like he might be some fun.”

“And it's not like the Empire is flourishing under Honest's reign,” Suzuka chimed in, “you could say Ichigo is divine punishment for the depravity of Honest and his supporters. Especially since he clearly shows god like powers.”

“And he is capable of sharing that power with those willing to join him.” They heard someone else say as they became aware of the new presence at their grave site, general Esdeath. “So, the Rakshasha Demons were tasked by the Prime Minister to kill Ichigo. That makes sense, but it was a futile effort.”

“You can see us?” Sten asked, shocked that someone else was capable of seeing them. “Then you can-”

“I can only see you because I joined the Soul Reaper.” The general interrupted, surprising the martial artists. “He gave me the power of a Shinigami in exchange for my loyalty. Honest could ensure I had wars to fight but Ichigo gives me actual challenges, the choice was clear.” She said dismissively. “Now, what did he say to you?”

“Either join him or pass on.” Suzuka answered for the group. “We're still deciding.” Esdeath smiled, one that hid her sadist nature.

“Then let's see if I can't help you with that decision.” She said, grabbing onto Suzuka's soul chain. “I'll interview you one at a time and help you make a final decision. But first, I think I'll punish you for attacking my mate.” She suddenly yanked on Suzuka's chain and making the masochist scream and moan out in pain. 'Torturing her might be a challenge.' She thought, noticing the indecent look on Suzuka's face.

(With Ichigo)

The hybrid gazed up at the massive jailer of perdition and tormentor of the damned, wondering what happened to him from his brief fusion with the Kushanada. Apparently the spirit being never left him and he can only question why. The landscape was lava, fire, and tall pillars of barren rock decorated with trees of bones and constant flashes of lightning all around him, reminding Ichigo of the lowest level of the Hell he went to. The Hell that the Shinigami sentence the sinners they find and where he fought Kokuto before ensuring the man's eternal imprisonment. Now he's back and about to be told what new powers he has?

“I thought I returned that power!” Ichigo shouted up to the unchanging gaze of the Kushanada. “What do you mean 'my power over Hell'? And isn't Hell's energy toxic?”

“To anyone else, the power of Hell slowly converts any soul here into that of a Togabito and become trapped here forever when consumed by a Kushanada.” The towering behemoth started. “However, you have the unique ability to channel the power of Hell as evidenced by your fusion with me and domination of Hell in that brief window of time. As for returning it, the Kushanada decided to change the rules of this Hell.”

“This Hell?” The hybrid asked, surprised by the information. “You mean there are others?”

“Those realms are not our concern.” The Kushanada answered as it continued. “The purpose of this Hell is to purge any black soul of its sins or to crush it into nothingness as a new soul takes its place. And as with any system, when there is a problem or change to it then the system must adapt. In this case, a being that could properly control and withstand the power of Hell and survive.”

“Then why was I puking up blood and... whatever that black stuff was?”

“You can harness it, but Hell's power is still toxic to other souls. Especially living souls. The plan was to have you slowly adapt over years with only the most basic ability of the Kushanada. Being able to sense sinners.” Ichigo nodded, guessing that's where the rancid scent and disgusting feel of some people he's encountered came from. “It will take a full decade before you can harness this power without suffering the toxic effects and that was the plan. However, this world is so mired in sin and wickedness that some of it has seeped to the surface and has responded to your will, dragging that last sinner into this realm.”

'Well that explains what happened to Boric.' Ichigo thought as the talk continued. “What else happened? What changes occurred?”

“This Hell is now part of you.” That surprised Ichigo. “As we Kushanada are integral to the system of Hell, now you are as well. The Kushanada have separated this realm from any other and linked it to you, making you this realm's god. So long as you are within Hell, you are all powerful and also benefit from the changes you made.”

'Changes I made?' Ichigo tried to think back to what he did, what he sentenced Kokuto to. 'You will be trapped like this, given the Reishi of every Sinner that was fully crushed and broken so that you can fuel the Kushanada.' He turned Kokuto into a living battery, strengthening the Kushanada with every crushed soul.

“Since then, we've become more aggressive and vicious in our duty.” The jailor continued. “Allowing sinners to gather as much power as they could before feasting on them and crushing their spirits until they become dust. Empowering both ourselves and you.”

“And the Kushanada truly chose me to be the master of Hell?” He asked, thinking something was very wrong with that. He wouldn't deny any edge he could get in his coming fight with Yhwach, but he still had to draw a line somewhere on how he got that edge.

“If you so desire, you can close your connection to Hell, but doing so in your current state is ill advised. You're currently too weak from forcibly summoning the gates, an ability you shouldn't have until the decade passed. Closing your connection may result in a prolonged comatose state, whereas now your soul is devoting much of its power to your regeneration.” The Kushanada warned, advice Ichigo was definitely going to take since he couldn't afford lapsing into any more comas. “Would you like to hear what new abilities you will have now?”

“No, go into the conditions and costs first.” Ichigo said, knowing that this kind of power came with a cost and special conditions.

“Very well.” The Kushanada nodded to Ichigo. “First, these abilities are most effective against Sinners. They can be used against foes that aren't Sinners, but you would have to supply your own Reishi to use them effectively. Second, until you are fully acclimated to the power of Hell the strain will be severe. It is estimated that you are at sixty percent of your true power.” That was not a minor inconvenience and he'd need to be careful if Quincy do appear, which he was already suspecting was the case in this world. “Now for your powers. As stated, you can sense the sin of others and whether they deserve damnation. You can also summon the armor you used when you were granted power over Hell, that will be for a defense increase instead of much else. Finally, using your body as the conduit, you can summon and control the chains of Hell as you see fit. Both these and the armor will require you to supply the Reishi unless you're fighting Sinner.”

“And when I'm in Hell, I'm basically the god of the realm?” He asked, getting the Kushanada to nod again. “Understood. I'm a little on the fence on using these powers, but... there are some people I should be sending to Hell. Now wake me up! I've been sleeping for too long as it is.”

(Back in Kyoroch)

People moved in procession to an altar where Ichigo continued to sleep, some offering flowers or charms or small idols, and prayed for the spirits of their loved ones and for the mercy of the Guardian of Souls. A new tradition in the religion of the Path of Peace as started by a few random people that wanted to pay tribute to their savior and their lord's savior, which was eventually adopted by everyone in that congregation and beyond. The Lord was watching over his flock during this time, hoping that he could ensure the Borick Tragedy wouldn't repeat itself. Another new addition was Esdeath and her Jaegers standing guard over the Lord and his people, though this caused a split among the people with some being thankful for the protection but most being very untrusting after Borik. The fact that Esdeath claimed that this was of her own volition did little to calm the populace, but she didn't care. Both she and the prophet knew the real reason she was there was still sleeping on the altar, and that someone was now waking up.

“Ugh, my head.” Ichigo groaned out as he reached for his throbbing skull. 'Worse than last time, but Urahara was probably why that one went so smoothly.' It was at that moment he noticed his surroundings. “What the... what happened?” He asked, gaining Esdeath's attention and getting her to signal the Lord with a sudden chill around him. “Is that my Hollow form? Am I being worshiped!?”

“Lord Shinigami!” He turned to notice a multitude of Plus souls. “You have finally risen! We can pass on now!”

“Good people, let's end our worship here for now.” The Lord announced, surprising the congregation of people and souls. “It is well past lunch time, and I feel we could all use a bite.”

“I believe those volunteers are back with some more food.” Esdeath joined in, Ichigo noticing chains around her wrist. “Bols! Get to the kitchen.” She ordered as she escorted the Lord to his new, and more secure, office while gesturing Ichigo to follow them. Taking a look around and deciding he needed answers, he followed. He was led to a very spartan room with no furnishings beyond a desk, a chair, and a bed. On the desk were papers, pens, and a small box which the Lord grabbed.

“After you took this off, you disappeared from mortal eyes.” He said, revealing Ichigo's Gigai Ring. “I thought it was important and the general confirmed it was. Even told me it was vital to your physical form..” Ichigo took the ring and slipped it on, returning to the physical plane. “I also apologize for all the statues and their deification of you, but they were insistent.”

“Not like I can stop them anymore.” Ichigo said with a sigh, taking his ring back off because he had many souls to send later. “What did I miss that can be considered important?”

“The followers of the Path of Peace were planning an uprising in response to Boric and the Empire's corruption, but that was pacified by my presence.” Esdeath explained to the awakened hybrid. “On the more peaceful side, worship of... you, exploded as the 'Guardian of Souls' protecting the just and punishing the wicked. Apparently reached the ears of the spirits who managed a pilgrimage all the way to Kyoroch in order to receive your mercy. Also, found these guys.” She whistled loudly and the Rakshasha Demons appeared, the men looking like prisoners while the women were free.

“I think it's obvious, but Suzuka and I want to join you.” Mez said with a casual wave. “Sten's too loyal to the Prime Minister and Ibara creeps us out.” Everyone was in agreement on that.” Ichigo sighed in annoyance.

“Fine. Esdeath, time to get you started on performing Konso. We've got a lot of souls to send.”

(Timeskip)

Before they got started, Ichigo donned his Hollow mask and released a loud reverberating howl that even the living heard, calling on the Arrancar Marik to come to his side. From there, Ichigo separated Esdeath from her body and they got to work on sending the hundreds of souls that appeared in Kyoroch. During that time, Ichigo figured out that Night Raid were among the volunteers helping around Kyoroch with various odd jobs. They remained on edge but kept to their roles while disguised. Probably because the situation was sensitive enough as it is, one misstep would make or break the Revolution in this case, or she wanted to see the Jaegers for herself.

The hours passed as Ichigo and Esdeath set about the task of performing the Konso and it became late evening before Marik managed to arrive and almost three forths of all the wandering to the afterlife. Sten and Ibara were the only ones sent to Hell while Suzuka and Mez were told what their first task was in recovering their Asuachi from Marik... in the morning. It was late and everyone was tired, tired from waiting in line to pass on, tired from the monotony of the Konso, tired from rushing all the way from the Capital to Kyoroch, and tired from the long hours. Everyone needed their rest.

“You've gotten weaker.” Esdeath suddenly said as she and Ichigo began walking to where the Jaegers were resting, where her body was located. Ichigo himself was in physical form to reduce the strain on himself and focus more energy on his rejuvenation. “Did it have something to do with what made you sleep for three days?” Ichigo had to remind himself of just how perceptive Esdeath was. She may be a novice in sensing Reishi, but that didn't mean she was completely blind to the difference in his power.

“I've merged with Hell.” He said, surprising Esdeath for a moment before she just nodded in acceptance. She's learned to stop applying logic to him. “Problem with that is that Hell is toxic to other souls, especially unprotected and weak souls, because it's meant to cause ultimate pain and suffering until the condemned soul either repents or is crushed into nothingness. A very dangerous sinner tried to escape Hell and I forced him back down, eventually taking Hell's power into myself to seal that Sinner into the deepest pits of Hell. I tried to let it go, but Hell decided it liked me and decided to stay as a part of me, something I need to to adapt to.”

“So you'll be weakened for the forseeable future?” The general asked, worried about her mate but also thinking of what to do with him during 'alone time'. “Then I will need to step up my training. How do we do?” Ichigo sighed, knowing that her training would have to take priority while he's weakened to sucha a state. He was thinking about how to help her attain her Shikai when he felt something fly through his chest. “What the-” There was a hole in his chest the size of a dinner plate, directly over his heart. Esdeath gasped in shock while Ichigo took the small window of life to look behind himself, finding a silver hilt, and to remove his Gigai Ring.

(In the outskirts of Kyoroch)

Way out in the distance, flying high above the earth in a flying vessel of gold and emerald, were four figures. Two were standing next to a throne where a third sat while Syura, the Prime Minister's son, stood at the bow with a Quincy bow and a satisfied smirk. He turned to face his companions, one being Makiri Zolgen, the other being a small hooded figure in raggedy robes, while the one sitting on the throne wore golden armor with golden blonde hair and had an annoyed expression.

“There. Mission accomplished.” Syura said with a cocky smirk, walking toward the throne. “One shot, through the heart, and Ichigo Kurosaki is dead.” He then let out a short demented laugh. “For everything I heard, I was expecting it to be tougher. But now-”

“You wasted your one chance.” The golden man said as a spear suddenly appeared from a floating golden circle and was pushing itself into Syura's leg, ending his confidence and making him scream in pain. “You had one chance to kill Ichigo Kurosaki and instead of going for a certain kill to his head, you aimed for his heart.” The spear pushed further into Syura, forcing him to his knee. “I said to kill him instantly.” An explosion of dark Reiatsu suddenly washed over them, making the three figures scowl while Syura looked terrified. “He can recover from a missing heart. All you did was set loose a beast.” The golden vessel turned tilted, giving its occupants the view of Ichigo, standing less than a mile away, in his Vasto Lorde Hollow form. “Now I have to put him down. What a worthless servant you are.” The man in gold said as he rose to his feet and floated off his ship, sending it away to avoid any coming damage.

“Kneel before me and die mongrel.” He commanded the hybrid. “I am Sternritter G and the one true king of all.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Rift
> 
> “And now the beginning of the end for Soul Conviction.” I said, taking a moment to stretch and pop my fingers. The rift door opened as LastKenpachi and WhackyBiscuit came in.
> 
> “Hey, Gilgamesh is entering the fray now!” LastKenpachi said, looking over the end part of the current chapter. “This should fun.”
> 
> “Which one is Gilgamesh?” Whacky asked, not familiar with the Fate series.
> 
> “He creates portals and shoots out weapons from inside that are basically an artillery bombardment.” LastKenpachi explained. “In a fight between him and Yhwach, I put my money on Gilgamesh.”
> 
> “Yesh. That's gonna be trouble. Think anyone might question Ichigo surviving without a heart?” Whacky asked.
> 
> “No, this is the catalyst that gave us the original Vasto Ichigo during the fight with Ulquiorra.” I said, getting up from my seat and stretching. “I like to think that the armor/mask material or whatever it is actually reforms into his new heart when all is said and done.” My friends and beta readers raised the eyebrows at my logic. “Hey, you try to explain how he turned back to normal after that! Now for something that's going to piss some people off.”
> 
> “Oh man, what is it?” LastKenpachi asked worriedly.
> 
> “Remember back in chapter 80 of Awakens, when I said I was writing my own novel?” I asked, making the two look at each other before checking.
> 
> “Huh. I'll be damned.” Whacky said.
> 
> “Yeah. Anyways, I've usually been doing a chapter for my fanfic and then a chapter for my novel. But for the past few months, it has been just fanfic chapters and job work until this English teacher I knew finished reading it with a red pen. I got it back not too long ago and now I have to do some cleaning up. Close to finally finishing the first completed draft too.”
> 
> “So you'll be taking a break?” LastKenpachi asked.
> 
> “Break implies I'm stopping. This is just working on something else. I'll get back to Soul Conviction soon. The final arc and Ichigo's war is about to begin.”


	15. First Clash

(Ichigo vs Gilgamesh)

“What good was it to tell you that much?” The Quincy said as he floated high above the hybrid, fully aware of the waste of energy and focus to keep himself aloft but too prideful to face his enemy as an equal. “After all, you are no different from a rabid dog right now.” Behind him, ten portals appeared and glowed bright as ten different weapons appeared in the portals. “Try to entertain me.” Two spears shot at Ichigo at supersonic speeds, exploding on contact and digging deep craters into the ground. Next he shot two swords to the right, where Ichigo moved to dodge the spears, only to miss again. Releasing a small growl of annoyance the Sternritter fired the remaining six in rapid succession, one directly at Ichigo and the others to where Ichigo was going in an attempt to intercept the hybrid.

“I've heard tales of your abilities mongrel.” Gilgamesh said when not a single one of his shots hitting their mark. “But you seem a bit sluggish,” fifty portals appeared this time, “can you dodge this?” Once again he fired at the hybrid, keeping track but not fast enough to land a hit, then he sped up the attack. An ax dug its way into Ichigo's chest, bringing a disappointed smirk to the Quincy's face. “I was expecting more from-” He was silenced when a foot slammed into his cheek and sending him plummeting into the ground. Gilgamesh landed on his feet, tearing a gash into the earth with a deepening crater from the force of the strike. He was shocked to find that Ichigo was unharmed, standing above him now, and that he was struck.

“You dare strike your better and force me to the ground.” He growled, shaking with anger. “I'm done playing. NOTHING WILL SPARE YOU FROM MY WRATH!” He roared as hundreds of portals appeared with hundreds of weapons, all ready to shoot at the hybrid. Ichigo held up the ax that Gilgamesh once thought found its mark and threw it back to the Quincy. The ax was flying so fast and spinning with such force that Gilgamesh had to focus ten of his blades to stopping the attack, leaving Ichigo to charge straight at him with both Zangetsu blades charged with Getsugas at the ready. The Quincy launched the remaining weapons from his portals in an effort to damage Ichigo and cancel out the Getsugas. The two attacks clash and unleash an explosion that made the very earth tremble.

(Kyoroch)

The city was in a panicked uproar, many fleeing in terror while others dropped to their knees in frantic prayer until forcibly moved by the evacuation. After Ichigo turned into his Hollow state, the entire city felt the crushing pressure of his spirit and the dark primal fear of being in the presence of an apex predator. Luckily for them the intended prey was far from the city, but not out of danger. People noticed when the fight began, large explosions and earthquakes are hard to miss, and began to panic before Esdeath ordered an evacuation. The general herself stayed behind, erecting a massive wall of ice when she saw the fiery explosions and telling her subordinates to continue the evacuation while she maintained the barrier. It did little to quell the earthquakes, but it did shield Kyoroch from the heat and shockwaves of the explosions.

'This is nothing like when you summoned those Hollows.' Esdeath thought as she stood atop her ice wall. 'That's just one person, but he's still commands powers beyond that of any Teigu.' She felt herself smile savagely, gripping at her chest. 'This is it! This is what I've craved! A new war! Stronger enemies!' She unconsciously took a step forward before being pushed back off of the wall.

“That's not exactly a smart move Esdeath.” Marik said, gaining her attention after she landed on her feet. “Ichigo is in a state of pure instinct, if you get in the way then you're going to be lunch. Besides,” he looked to the raging battle, “anyone that can keep up with the king is someone that's far out of the league of anyone without a bankai.”

“You mean there's another level of power I need to reach beyond this 'shikai'?” Esdeath asked, wondering just where she stood among the powers of the Shinigami.

“Ask the king for details. When he comes back.” Marik answered before flashing away. Esdeath growled in annoyance before hearing another explosions and her ice wall cracking. She waved her hand and repaired the barrier, just before creating a fog of fine ice particles around herself.

“I admit I was distracted, but you wouldn't dare give up the chance to kill me.” The general turned to find an old enemy of her's, the leader of Night Raid, Najenda. Esdeath glanced around to spy the other various members of Night Raid getting into a position to attempt to strike her down. “So why give me the chance to catch on to your assassination attempt?” Najenda took a drag of her cigarette.

“You're certainly crazy Esdeath, always have been from the day I met you.” The assassin leader answered. “But you aren't crazy enough to talk to thin air for no reason. Meaning only one thing, you can see and speak to spirits.” Esdeath found a pink haired girl with Pumpkin aimed directly for her head and see the cursed edge of Murasame in her peripheral. “So why don't you tell me how you're connected to our resident Soul Reaper, Ichigo Kurosaki?” Esdeath smiled, ready to play the game.

(Back to the fight)

The two combatants burst out from the cloud of dust and smoke, the golden armored Quincy utilizing Hirenkyaku and jumping off the weapons he summoned to fly around the battlefield with Ichigo in hot pursuit. During this chase, Gilgamesh fired at least a dozen weapons at Ichigo, who would destroy them with Ceros and Balas. The Quincy could feel his fury burn, being forced to the defensive like a weakling? By a mongrel like the hybrid when all he is right now is a mindless beast? Such insolence could not be tolerated, Ichigo had to die.

“You will know pain!” Gilgamesh roared out as he shot another dozen swords and spears at Ichigo, who swung a Getsuga Tensho to destroy them all. The hybrid burst from the smoke cloud aftermath, closed in on the golden Quincy with his teeth about to rip out Gilgamesh's throat, who was paralyzed in fear before smirking in triumph just as Ichigo was hit. A spear through his stomach, a sword through his back, a scythe severing his legs, and a mace slamming him back into the earth. “Know the price for baring your fangs at your better.” Gilgamesh taunted as thousands of portals opened, all aiming from the downed hybrid. “Now die! And repent for the sin of defying me!” The smirking Quincy sent the thousands of weapons down to his foe, intent on destroying every trace of the hybrid now that he remembered Ichigo's regenerative ability. His smile died as he saw a ball of dark crimson with an electric screeching whir grow rapidly from Ichigo's back.

'Gran Rey Cero!?' He thought as he remembered the data they had from what little they could get on Ichigo's fight in the Valley of Screams from the Shinenju Incident. 'Has he truly lost all reason!?' He fired the many thousands of weapons, hoping to cancel the attack out before it tore a hole in space. The two attacks collided and caused another massive explosion that scorched and cracked the landscape, leaving behind a massive cloud of smoke and dust. 'Where is he?' The Quincy thought, scanning the ground below him as he stood on a platform of Reishi. As if to answer him, the spike mace that struck Ichigo was now shooting toward him. Gilgamesh quickly summoned a shield, grunting from the force of the impact but held strong, while Ichigo appeared behind him with the spear. The hybrid swung it down onto the Quincy's back like a staff, breaking the polearm and sending Gilgamesh crashing down. He managed to land on his feet and glared at Ichigo as the hybrid dropped to ground level.

“Not once, but twice you dare force me to the ground?” The Sternritter growled as he created even more portals. “I'LL DESTROY YOU! YOU RABID BEAST!” In Ichigo's claws was the sword that he was impaled with, replacing Zangetsu as he charged toward the Quincy. “DIE!” Gilgamesh roared as he fired his latest barrage of weapons. Some missed, many were deflected, some cut into Ichigo's being, but none could slow him down. A shot did force Ichigo to discard the sword, but his left hand pulsed and suddenly the smaller Zangetsu blade was in his hand with a getsuga ready to launch. 'Damnit!' Gilgamesh cursed as he summoned another shield just before the sword could connect, sending him flying with the explosive blast. Ichigo summoned the other half of Zangetsu to his hand and prepared for the next bout.

“YOU MISERABLE CUR!” Gilgamesh roared as Ichigo was once again surrounded in portals, this time shooting out chains. Many of the chains snapped but the endless number began to slow the hybrid down, stopping him only when a sword wide enough to decapitate Ichigo was an inch from his throat. Ichigo also had a cero charged, this one pitch back, and ready to fire. The Quincy stopped the chains and felt his neck, feeling the thinnest thread of a Rasotengai. “You have finally come to your senses then, you mongrel?” He asked the hybrid.

“Who are you?” Ichigo asked, preparing an Itto Kaso should it prove necessary. “I remember hearing Sternritter G, but I'd prefer a name for any opponent.”

“I know you are a rather learned individual, but I will only give you this hint,” Gilgamesh replied, “I am named after and the heir of the first king and hero to the realm of man, who owns and knows all of the pleasures of the world.” The hybrid thought, going back through all the myths and legends he was told to learn from

“Gilgamesh, I'm guessing.” The Sternritter smiled, despite the situation. Ichigo did a quick evaluation of himself and figured that he couldn't keep this up for much longer, he needed to recover and it'd be too risky to continue this. “What say we end this fight and start again at a later time?”

“What do you mean?” Gilgamesh asked, still ready to launch a killing strike.

“This wasn't a proper match. I don't consider it a proper or honorable fight if I'm a mindless beast for any of it. You probably still have a few tricks up your sleeve and I haven't even used my bankai. What's more impressive if you win; killing me when I'm weakened or defeating me when I'm at my best?” Ichigo loosened the thread around Gilgamesh's throat. Gilgamesh, in turn, soon released the chains and made the sword disappear while Ichigo did the same with his techniques.

“Very well mongrel. We'll fight when you are at your best.” The Quincy summoned a smaller version of his golden vessel and sat on its throne. “As future king of all, it wouldn't do if I didn't fight and defeat you at anything less than your best. This was merely stalling until you came to your senses.” With that the Quincy flew away on a ship of gold, leaving Ichigo to feel the weight of his battle.

“You really saved my ass this time Zangetsu.” He grunted, watching as Gilgamesh faded into the distance. “Next time, I need to go all out.” He flashed away, returning to Esdeath's side.

(Kyoroch)

“You expect me to believe that he actually made you a Shinigami?” Najenda asked her former colleague, who never dropped her smile. Then the world shook with another massive explosion, this one shattering her ice wall and knocking out some of Night Raid.

“What is happening there?” Esdeath whispered under her breath before turning her attention back to Najenda. “Like I said, it came with certain restrictions, but I was indeed granted the power of a Soul Reaper. When Ichigo is done fighting whoever he's fighting then he can vouch for me. Till then, shouldn't you see to the comrades that were injured?”

“Not unless you're either dead or incapacitated Esdeath.” The assassin leader responded, looking out to where the chaos raged. “Every instinct in me is screaming to just have you killed because I also know you could very easily kill us all. But you haven't... yet.” Just then, Ichigo emerged from beyond the ice and took in the sight before him.

“I do not have the patience for this.” The Soul Reaper sighed as he walked over to Esdeath and held out his hand, knowing she had his Gigai Ring. “Ring.” Esdeath glanced at him and dropped the ring into his hand, which soon found its home on his finger. “Yes, Esdeath can see spirits and it's because I made her a Shinigami Najenda.” Ichigo said the moment he appeared on the physical plane, making Najenda do an impression of a fish as she tried to process the information. “Also, the both of you are going to hold a ceasefire as everyone comes together. I have some things to say and this civil war ends in the next few days.

(Evacuation Camp: Meeting Tent)

Everyone was gathered in the largest tent, torches giving ambient light, a wide table separating the Jaegers and Night Raid with Ichigo and the Lord sitting at the head of the table. The religious leader was there to help serve as a more peaceful mediator since Ichigo thought it might help, especially with how Najenda and Esdeath were glaring. Najenda was glaring at Esdeath for past grudges and at Ichigo for giving a psychopath access to greater power, Esdeath was glaring at the Lord for sitting next to her mate, Ichigo was glaring at both for acting so childish, everyone else was horribly uncomfortable with the glares and the silence. Except for Susanoo and Bols who were serving tea and refreshments, they were getting along.

“Okay, let's get this thing started.” Ichigo said, taking charge of the meeting he organized. “The point of this meeting is to accelerate the end of this war, arresting Honest and his allies, and I can give my full focus on the Quincy with a clear conscience.”

“The enemy that you were preparing for,” Esdeath answered for the group before anyone could ask about the Quincy, “spiritually powered humans that disrupt the balance of souls which in turn threatens creation.” Everyone not privy to spirit matters became shocked at the news. “So you're ending the war because there's a bigger war and you want them to help.”

“Yes Esdeath. That last fight ended in a stalemate and my opponent was holding back.” Ichigo informed the group, surprising everyone that saw the destruction. “So here's what I'm going to do; I'm taking both Esdeath and Najenda with me back to the capital, I'm going to Honest and banish his soul to Hell just like I did with Boric, you two will gather any evidence to help prove Makoto's claim that Honest is a traitor to the Empire and help him create peace, then I gather my own forces and fight the Quincy. Any objections?” Najenda raised her robotic arm.

“I'm still a wanted criminal, how are you going to stop that from getting in the way of your plan??”

“I have any number of ways to disguise you Najenda. You only need to wait until I reveal you and anything to do with the mortal world will be up to you.” Ichigo then turned to the Lord. “Makoto's going to need someone like you to help guide him down a more moral and peaceful path. Are you willing to do that and face the possibility that this religion may become the core belief of the Empire?”

“I'll need to be more cautious in who I pick to help me, but if this is to be my fate then I accept it.” The Danger Beast hybrid said with a smile.

“Then let's get a move on!” Ichigo said as he ended the meeting and pointed at the two generals. “You two are coming with me, everyone else stays behind to protect Kyoroch.” Suddenly Ichigo went to Susanoo and cut him in half from the waist, picking up the top half. “Did I damage your core?” The Teigu shook his head. “You can regenerate?” The Teigu nodded. “You're coming with us.” The Shinigami said before walking out. Esdeath laughed, following her mate... then went back to grab a stunned Najenda.

(The Throne Room: 12 hours later)

“Considering that Esdeath's team has been proving rather... ineffective,” Honest was saying as he began his presentation, “I've got an offer my lord.” Syura emerged from the shadows with five other individuals; one was a fat and dark skinned clown with a small baseball cap and tufts of curly black hair, one was lean and muscular man with a triangular bob haircut that was wearing tight black clothes that exposed much of his body, another man was dressed like a ronin samurai with a twig in his mouth, one woman had a mini dress and had glasses and bunny ears, and the last woman was a little girl in a turquoise dress with an apron and a ribbon in her blonde hair. “My son has returned to the capital, and with a power that will make the Empire rule over death itself!”

“This I bring to the glorious empire!” Syura proudly declared, holding up a wrist with a Quincy cross bracelet on it and then bringing out a case with more of the Quincy crosses. “And we can get more but for now, take this power beyond the mightiest Teigu.” He said with a smile watching as Makoto nodded to Budo who ordered a guard to claim one of the bracelets. Honest smiled viciously, victory was his.

“QUINCY!” A familiar voice rang out, making everyone turn to see Ichigo, Esdeath, Najenda, and Susanoo. “Move!” Ichigo roared as the group sprang into action.

“Susanoo! Watch our backs!” Najenda ordered before shooting her hand like a grappling hook and grabbing onto the young monarch, pulling him to her arms. “We need to get you to safety!” She told him, earning his trust just by appearing with the Shinigami.

“Budo! It's a coup! They're trying to kill the emperor!” Esdeath called out, thinking quickly to get the grand general to help. Budo grinned and cracked his knuckles, charging his Adramelech with electricity. It didn't matter if what Esdeath said was true or not, it was an excuse to kill Honest and that's what he was waiting for. As he prepared to fire an electric blast, the bunny eared girl jumped in front and yelled into a microphone.

“LA~!” She sang, causing the entire room to shake and crack, forcing Budo to stop his attack and cover his ears in an attempt to stop the ringing in his head. The clown pulled out a ball that burst into flames and got ready to throw but Esdeath surrounded them in ice spears and was aiming to impale them all quickly. The fire ball blew a hole in the ice only for them to find Ichigo ready to cut them down with an enlarged katana. Honest got in front and spread his arms out, veins glowing a bright blue. Ichigo's blade bit into the fat man's arm and Honest's body was proving stubborn to cut through.

“Syura! Get us out of here!” Honest ordered, making his pull out the teleportation Teigu. What should have been an instant cut was taking half a minute to cleave the man in half. Time Syura took advantage of to activate his Teigu.

“Shambala!” He shouted, creating a bright flash that forced everyone to look away. When the light died, there wasn't even a trace of the Teigu's power that Ichigo could follow. The prime minister's body was also gone, taken with the rest of the Quincy. A quick Pesquisa confirmed that there were no Quincy left in the castle.

“Damn. That's one annoying Teigu.” Ichigo sighed, grunting in pain due to not fully recovering from his fight with Gilgamesh. “Today has not been a good one.”

“Can someone please explain what's going on?” Makato asked, still being carried by Najenda while Susanoo starting grooming him.

“Yeah... Esdeath you do that.” Ichigo ordered as he started walking out of the throne room, looking for Esdeath's bedroom to get some much needed rest. “Now I've got a war of my own to fight, and all I know is that they have Teigu and at least one person that can fight on level with me. I need more information.” He grumbled, stopping as he felt a presence behind him.

“I can tell you what I know.” Ichigo turned to see the ronin looking at him with black eyes. “My name is Izou and I have information. I've heard about you, Ichigo Kurosaki, and I want to fight you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Rift
> 
> “And done.” I said, finishing out the chapter. “With that out of the way, I can get back to editing my novel.”
> 
> “So any idea on what the Schrifts for Wild Hunt is?” LastKenpachi asked.
> 
> “No idea, but I am open to suggestions. Can't be anything their Teigus can already do though, but that should go without saying.”
> 
> “What about this on your profile?” Whackybiscuit asked. “All those question marks next to 'Fate' and 'DxD'.”
> 
> “For the future crossover. I'm curious to see if anyone can guess who's getting in Ichigo's harem and who MIGHT be added later.”
> 
> “So long as Rias isn't in it. Hate her.” LastKenpachi told us.
> 
> “Yes, because she let Issei nearly die to take away his choice on becoming a devil and is too arrogant without being able to back it up. I'll punish her accordingly when we get to the DxD crossover. I'm making a poll now.”
> 
> “For?” Whacky asked.
> 
> “Izou. He's a member of Wild Hunt and an unrepentant killer that obsessed with his sword, but he's probably the least twisted among them. Hell or recruitment because he's like Esdeath without the sadistic tendencies.”
> 
> “Hell!” LastKenpachi voted.
> 
> “Click it on the profile cyber-Aussie.” I closed that laptop and got up. “Back to the real world for my own novel.”


	16. Revolution to Invasion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Rift
> 
> “Teloch!” Whackybiscuit called out as he entered my domain in the Rift. “Starting up the next chapter?”
> 
> “Yep. Time to get back to Soul Conviction.” I responded while opening up my laptop.
> 
> “OH GOD! MY EYES!” LastKenpachi cried out from behind a locked door. “I STILL SEE IT WHEN I CLOSE MY EYES!” Whacky looked at the door in shock.
> 
> “So, from here on out it's going to have to be original content but it will also be the final arc. And there's this one more OC I said I'd bring in. Maybe this whole chapter will be all the exposition and other important but not interesting stuff.”
> 
> “Teloch was that LK?” Whacky asked me while pointing at the door.
> 
> “Yep. How long do you think I should make that duel with Izou?”
> 
> “Why is he screaming?”
> 
> “Not important. Think I should do the AkamexIchigo lemon next?”
> 
> “Why is LastKenpachi screaming Teloch?”
> 
> “Ugh! Fine. Remember last chapter when we discussed the future DxD crossover?”
> 
> “....Vaguely.”
> 
> “LK wanted me to make it clear that Rias wasn't going to be part of Ichigo's harem and I wanted to make the stance clear. She's definitely not my favorite, but I'm also only on book 6 and she's yet to impress me other than becoming possessive, which hurts her stance. Not that I'm fond of Issei either. Comes so close to dignified and falls on totally perverted. Hard.” I sighed, remembering my current biggest issue with DxD. “Anyway, I also wanted people to actually guess who might become part of Ichigo's harem from the Fate series and DxD. Only one person guessed anyone. Tiamat and Ophis.”
> 
> “So which one?”
> 
> “I didn't say, though it did make me curious. Besides, I thought I already made it clear that Scathach was going to join Ichigo's harem.” Whacky raised a finger to say something. “Imagine if Unohana had Zaraki's personality.”
> 
> “Right. So what did you do to LK?”
> 
> “I told him about a Fujoshi friend of mine and how she tried to convince me to do IchigoxGilgamesh.”
> 
> “IT BURNS!” LastKenpachi screamed.
> 
> “Also, he has to deal with any further Rias related complaints."

(Capital: Throne Room)

“I saw a few hundred footsoldiers,” Izou reported to the three generals, Ichigo, and Makoto, “at least I think they were. They all wore the same white and blue outfit so I'm just guessing. There were at least four that weren't dressed the same way and they called themselves 'Sternritters', but I can only really tell you about three.”

“You can describe their looks to a sketch artist later,” Ichigo interrupted, “tell me about their Shrifts or what their letter is. For example, Gilgamesh is G for Gate and he can create portals. Tell me what you know.” Izou took his hand to his chin and thought it over.

“One is called Makiri Zolgen and he was called 'the Hidden' and he was able to completely erase his presence. I wasn't able to get more than that, but golden boy did show a grail full of blood.” That got Ichigo's attention, something Izou noticed. “He said that if they proved themselves worthwhile then they could drink it and gain even greater power. Syura's dad already drank some under the claim of 'ensuring its power'. Got an arrow to the knee but he was still permitted to drink it and his aura immediately changed.”

“Then Honest must be a Sternritter now.” Ichigo said with a sigh. “I thought it was weird that he'd actually sacrifice himself for anyone. And since they have many more crosses than all they need is people willing to join their side.”

“Honest has many allies in positions of power, some of which we haven't been able to find anything worth arresting them for.” Budo spoke up. “But if his majesty declares Honest a traitor to the Empire then we can arrest them for suspicion of treason.” Makoto leaned back in his throne, pondering the idea presented. Knowing that the former Prime Minister was the source of much of the misery in the Empire he wanted nothing more than to strip him of all power and authority before a public execution, but would this make him a just ruler?

“Najenda,” the emperor called to the Night Raid leader, “if I declare Honest a traitor and the main enemy to the Empire, would the Revolutionary leaders be willing to meet for a ceasefire and end this war or shall I pardon Night Raid of their crimes first to show my sincerity?” Najenda brought her robotic hand to her chin in thought, trying to figure out the best course of action.

“If I had to say, make it a general pardon to the whole of the Revolutionary Army and use me as an example.” She finally answered. “If we openly admit to any assassination unit it might give the Quincy a chance to exploit it.” Makoto nodded and turned back to Ichigo.

“Are you sure Honest still lives?” The young emperor asked the Soul Reaper. “You did cut into him very deeply.”

“Very important rule regarding powers, realize that anything is possible.” Ichigo answered the group. “From what I know about Schrifts, the power is in the 'concept' of what their epitaph is. So, at the very least, unless I see his body reduced to dust and his soul dragged to Hell then I won't believe he's actually dead.”

“Shame,” Makoto returned as his leaned back into his throne, “I was hoping we'd be rid of that wretch and we'd only have to find a body.” He remained silent as he thought about the next course of action. “Budo, I want to address the people in the morning so send word for the people to gather. I'm pardoning the entire Revolutionary army and reinstating Najenda as a general.” The grand general nodded and went about performing his task. “Esdeath and Najenda, I want the both of you to arrest anyone with even the slightest connection to Honest. Lethal force is permitted but I'd rather have as many of them alive as possible. The worst will be publicly executed for their crimes and I hope their deaths might appease the rage of the populace. Najenda will also need a uniform for her return, so get your sizes and send them to the military tailor.” The two women generals glared at each other with Esdeath gaining a smirk as they quickly rushed to do their parts. Time was of the essence.

“I'd have to say that was fairly well done,” Ichigo said as Makoto slumped in his throne, “and we have a ready executioner right here.” Izou smirked with anticipation of feeding his Kotetsu sword. “But I won't pretend that this is ideal.”

“I don't blame you for this new conflict Ichigo. God knows I'd be worse off if you never appeared, but... I was dearly hoping everything would be over once I was rid of Honest.” The emperor sighed as Chouri and his daughter stormed in, Ichigo disappearing from sight.

“You're majesty, I just heard what hap-!” The former prime minister started before Makoto interrupted.

“Chouri, you're now the prime minister. You're first duty is to draw up peace talks with the Revolutionary army and its allies. Now go.” The emperor interrupted, leaving no argument as the old man nodded and went to return to his office. “Ichigo... will you lead us to victory?” He asked, knowing Ichigo was listening as the Shinigami reappeared.

“I will not lose.”

(Quincy Hideout)

“DAMN IT!” Syura roared as he and his group waited for their new 'king' to grace them with his presence. “Damn that Soul Reaper!” He slammed his fist into a stone pillar, busting a couple of knuckles in the process. “How dare he interfere-!”

“You were the one that desired a second chance to prove yourself,” Gilgamesh said as he appeared before a throne, “or did you distract yourself with some cheap whore beforehand like the fool you are?”

“Big talk from the so called 'king'.” Syura retorted, storming toward Gilgamesh's throne. “Didn't you say you kiACK!” He was interrupted as a noose appeared from a portal and started chocking him.

“My fight with him has been put on hold, YOUR mission was to subdue the capital and build my army AND I told you to hurry.” The Quincy lord returned. “Your father at least managed to give me tens of thousands of soldiers with his quick thinking. Speaking of, don't you have any words for this impudent mongrel?” Honest soon walked out of the shadows looking as lively as ever, as if Ichigo's blade had no effect on the man.

“While I was impressed with your growth as a warrior, son, you've clearly failed the most important skill that allowed me to get as far as I have, keeping it quiet or under control.” The man scolded as his son struggled to breath. “There's a time and place for everything and even if we were still in the capital,” Honest walked up to the hanging man and took the Teigu Shambala off of him, “I'd throw you aside if you couldn't keep your tracks covered.” The rope untied itself and Syura fell onto his face. “Your connection to me no longer matters, merit does and you've yet to prove yourself useful.” Honest's son looked to his father in a mix of disbelief and heartbreak.

“I don't even see that vaunted swordsman you had earlier.” Gilgamesh said, making the group realize they were short a member. “Did he die or just abandon you?” Syura growled in frustration as the embarrassments continued to pile on. “No matter. I have a force now tens of thousands strong and I want they up to par as Quincy.” 'I'm expecting this to be a fun match, you hybrid cur. What will your next move be?'

(Capital)

'It's time.' Makoto thought, taking a breath to calm his nerves as he stepped out to find the massive throng of people. The hunt for traitors was mildly successful, capturing over a dozen people in the civil sector of the government while only capturing one general that was already on the brink of death after Esdeath captured him. Many other high ranking military officials that were confirmed traitors were already gone, probably warned by Honest before the attempted coup. The Jaegers and Night Raid reached the capital a little while ago and split up, the Jaegers acting as guards between the masses and the soon to be executed prisoner while the assassins were hiding among the populace. Budo and Esdeath stood at either side of Makoto as he stood on the balcony overlooking the square with Najenda, dressed in her old military uniform, waiting in the back for her pardon. She sent a message earlier with Makoto's, Budo's, and Esdeath's signature that was explaining the situation to the Revolutionary army. Now all that was left was to make it official.

“For years,” he started to the hushed crowd, “I ruled based on honeyed words and manipulation. A puppet on strings dancing under the guise of a proper emperor, obedient and blind by the puppet master's whims.” Many seemed confused while some of the smarter members of the populace had an idea of who he was talking about. “I am a pathetic emperor.” Makoto admitted, stunning the entire square. “I had allowed myself to be lied to and manipulated while our, NOT MY, OUR nation became rotted and corrupted. Poverty, disease, famine, a civil war that I once thought was because they wished to usurp me. Then, one night, I learned the truth. I learned who was the puppet master and I decided 'No more.'”

“Honest, the FORMER prime minister, admitted to the assassinations of my father and mother and planned to put me into a comatose state in order to keep his self indulgent lifestyle!” Many that once kept silent out of fear of Honest had found their voices and began cursing the man and his actions. “If evidence of his crimes were easier to obtain, I would've had him executed by now for his treachery, however, the depths of his betrayal does not stop there. He was apparently an agent for a mysterious cult that seeks to conquer the world. Not just our Empire, but the whole world!” The people now became scared at the thought of such a group, but now Makoto could start with the good news. “Honest would've succeeded in his coup if it weren't for this brave soldier.”

'That's my cue.' Najenda thought as she proudly stood straight and marched toward the balcony, once again surprising many people.

“Najenda was a former general that defected from the army when she became sick of the corruption that tainted everything it touched. The Revolutionary Army fought this war because they had no other way to try and save this nation, not when its 'leader' was trapped in Honest's stranglehold. But now, I can finally declare this. Honest is a traitor to the crown and to the people of the empire and is now the most wanted man in this nation!” That announcement gained a thunderous cheer. “I also now offer a full pardon to any and all members of the Revolutionary Army!” He turned to Budo and nodded, prompting the man to pull out a saber that was now presented to Najenda.

“Najenda, should you accept it, you will be welcomed back into our ranks with your previous status as 'general' returned.” The crowd hushed and waited, watching as Najenda took up the blade.

“I return to the service of the Empire,” she loudly announced, “and I shall not rest until I deliver unto you Honest! In chains or in pieces!” The crowd erupted at that, cheering on their new champion.

“This same offer is open to the whole of the Revolutionary Army, should they wish to join.” Makoto told his people. “Now, unfortunately, Honest has disappeared and we need to hunt him. Until then, the people in chains before you are traitors that sided with the former prime minister!” The prisoners were sweating the entire time, a couple soiled themselves, and were struggling to free themselves ever since Makoto announced Honest's treachery. “It may not be much, but I ask that you be content with this for now.” Izou then marched out to the first chained prisoner, unsheathing his blade and holding it up. “For the crime of treason and embezzling taxes, I order thee to be executed!” The man screamed for only a second before he was decapitated, earning another round of cheers for just punishment, a process that continued to late in the afternoon when they were finally done.

(Timeskip: Under the palace)

“Now let's start this back up... again.” Ichigo sighed, this being the second time he had to do this set-up. With the assembly done, Ichigo took both Night Raid and the Jaegers to Night Raid's former hideout since pretty much everyone was now joining in the fight against the Quincy and with an army of those to fight later Ichigo was going to need more Shinigami. Sheele, Bulat, and Daidara were surprised at the news but obeyed their superior like Marik did and assisted with the cargo humans couldn't see. It took them hours to dig out the new underground base but it was assembled.

“So, is this where we'll be having our meetings?” Esdeath asked as she and Najenda made their way down. “Quite spacious. Very useful for training purposes.” She then saw the other Soul Reapers in training. “Of course you'd become one Daidara. Good to see you again.” This shocked Daidara but before he could do anything, Ichigo activated the Spirit Projector and made the spirits visible to those that couldn't see them.

“BRO/BULAT! SHEELE!” Most of the Night Raid members cried out as they flocked to their friends. Ichigo gave them the time to enjoy their reunion and sent a report to Kisuke, telling him and the rest of the Gotei about the current situation.

“The leader of this Quincy army could fight on par with me and now he likely has Teigu users as well.” He said, typing away the final paragraph of his report. “I'm now going to recruit more from the members of Night Raid and Jaegers to help me in this war because I can't afford to stay an impartial party. This is now my problem.” He clicked send, sighed, then turned to address the assembled group that finally quieted down. “Okay, as you may know, I can't just stay out of this anymore. The Quincy are my enemies and I need more allies to fight them. If you die in spirit form, you die permanently and I can't promise this will be any easier than when you were fighting other Teigu users.”

“You mean there might be more people like the guy that almost killed you?” Tatsumi asked in shock, disbelieving anyone could actually match the insanity that was Ichigo's power.

“Just like with Teigu, certain abilities defy logic and reason. I won't lie, this is going to be many times more difficult than when you only had to worry about Esdeath.” Wave and Tatsumi were about to speak up before Ichigo raised his hand. “Stop. I won't force anyone to take on the burden of being a Soul Reaper and before any of you try to volunteer I want you to be ABSOLUTELY sure this is what you want.” He pointed to the stairs. Stairs were less risky than ladders. “Now go. Think it over for a few days.” With that, the group began to leave, Akame sticking behind long enough to leave a note for the hybrid.

“Notice: incoming package from your favorite captain.” A computerized voice of Kisuke called out, somehow not surprising Ichigo that he did something like this. He turned to see a large cylindrical pod with a bunch of wires, plugs, and a single red light that was moving around the pod like an eye. On the pod was a note that said 'connect to everything'. With hesitation Ichigo did so and the moment he connected it to the Spirit Projector, Stylish appeared.

“Ah~! Much better!” The scientist said, looking like a green hologram. “The latest in Soul Society's AI technology, STY 0068, Stylish. I'm at your service Ichigo Kurosaki.” Ichigo was looking at this with utter confusion. “I understand the confusion sir, so I shall stylishly explain!” He then took a hammy and dramatic pose. “After you sent me to squad 12, Mayuri Kurotsuchi took his time to painfully extract all of my knowledge and then turn my mind into an artificial intelligence to pick up the slack of your neglected science practices. After many iterations of this mind, many Mayuri made to simply torture for test purposes, he finally created me. A completely obedient program to help you in the matters you either can't understand or don't have the time to do.” Ichigo then pointed to the pod. “That's where my main processor is, my remaining flesh and brain. I'm in constant agony.” He said with a chipper attitude, disturbing Ichigo a little bit.

'I don't think I want to open that pod.' The hybrid immediately decided.

(Palace Tower: Akame's Room)

“Come to my room at midnight.” Was the note Ichigo got from Akame and her room was where he was headed. Some would think of something naughty, but Akame never once struck him as that kind of girl. Chances are she already made her decision and didn't want anyone to try and convince her otherwise. He'd have to make sure she knew what she was getting into, but he wouldn't exactly turn her down either. He soon reached his destination, a room on the second floor of one of the towers, an entire floor reserved for the new special unit that would be formed.

“I'm here Akame.” He announced, knocking on the door. She opened it and pulled him inside, still dressed in her usual attire. “Is there any chance I can talk you out of it?” He said, knowing that she'd know what he was talking about.

“No. Someone's going to have to take over your duties when you leave.” She said, making her intentions known. “They told us. Sheele, Bulat, Daidara, Esdeath, they told us that you'll eventually leave to continue this war against the Quincy. When you do, what will become of the souls still here? I will take on the burden of the Soul Reaper.”

“And why?” Ichigo asked, feeling the conviction in her words. “A desire to help lost souls or your penance for all the lives you've ended?” Akame didn't answer, but it was easy to see that the latter was the likely reason. “Are you really sure about this Akame?” She nodded. “Fine. I accept you as my successor as Shinigami of this world.” 'Maybe your friends that survive this will join you so that you aren't entirely alone.' He thought to himself as Akame walked up to him.

“Good.” She said before pulling him down and kissing him deeply. When he pulled back, he saw a deep blush painting her cheeks. “Th-that's my thanks for saving my sister. It wasn't my first kiss, but this is the first time I've tried this after a... less than consenting experience.”

“So why?” He asked, seeing her tremble slightly. Likely experiencing some bad memories.

“I'd rather be memorable than forgotten.” She answered, shyly looking away. Ichigo reached down and took a gentle grasp of her chin. 

“Then let's make this memorable.” He said before kissing her.

(Continued in Other Awakenings)

Ichigo was standing on a balcony in the palace, shirtless and taking in the night air to reflect on the impact he was leaving on this world and how he'd be leaving the people to the aftermath. Akame was soundly asleep in bed, tired from a vigorous night of 'memories' she felt was owed to both of them. The hybrid was about to return to bed when he felt a strong Reiatsu, one belonging to a Vasto Lorde. Summoning Zangetsu to his hand he immediately flashed over to the area where he felt the presence, back to Night Raid's old base.

“Alright, show yourself!” Ichigo ordered, getting ready to draw and release his shikai. He was answered when a clawed webbed hand with spiked protrusions on both sides wrapped around the door frame and the Hollow revealed itself, definitely a Vasto Lorde and female from the looks of it. Her mask was like a wide and blunt shark's head though it left her mouth exposed, revealing rows of shark teeth ready to tear anything apart, and a wild mane of gray hair flowing down her back. In the middle of her back was a shark fin and her body was segmented in gray and mocha brown tiger stripes with gills along her ribs. The most curious aspect of her was the occasional spark of electricity arcing across her body, fairly intelligent eyes, and a golden pendant hanging from her neck in front of the Hollow hole in her heart.

'A feral Vasto Lorde?' Ichigo thought with concern as he got ready to fight. She immediately disappeared in a flash of and got a foot in front of him, not in a predatory stance but more curious. She was sniffing loudly, getting closer and closer to him. Ichigo was concerned, but held out a hand for her.

“Ma... Sa... Ki?” She said with tears welling up in her ink black eyes before they turned a feline green, shocking Ichigo with the mention of his mother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Rift
> 
> “And done.” I said, typing the last bit. “Last OC and all I have to do is have her explain her backstory next chapter. And pray people won't bring up how similar she is to Harribel.”
> 
> “After the lemon for Akame and Ichigo.” Whacky said, reminding me to write that.
> 
> “Think I'll also write a threeway involving Esdeath. Wanna help with that?”
> 
> “Sure. Could be fun.” A door opened and Last Kenpachi came out, looking exhausted from the horrifying images in his mind.
> 
> “Hey LK! Think Ichigo would be the top or the bottom?” I called out.
> 
> “OH GOD WHY!?” The cyborg cried out as he retreated back to the room.
> 
> “You're not gonna stop that are you?” Whacky asked me.
> 
> “Last time. I swear. I was just really irritated about the Rias complaints. I tell people to either give me Zanpakuto ideas, Schrift ideas, or guess who might join Ichigo's harem. Failing that, they tell me what they thought about the chapter. Instead, I got haters for potential Rias bashing. This happens again, I'm going on hiatus for the rest of the year.”
> 
> “Don't even joke about that!” Whacky warned.
> 
> “I'm not joking.”


	17. Wartime Preparations

(Flashbacks: Hollow's POV)  
Finding her

Hunger. That's what I remember feeling the most in my life, or rather my afterlife. I can't remember how I died or even when, I just remember wanting to see my family. To tell them all the things I wanted to but never had the chance. I remember eating people with chains on their chests, monsters with holes in their bodies, I was hungry and wanted that burning pain to end. When I finally found my family... I almost felt satisfied. I held on to enough of myself to avoid thinking of them as food, but I couldn't help but think of how tasty my sister would be before becoming disgusted with myself. I didn't struggle with that problem for long, when I watched them all die in an accident. It was hard to believe, one day they were laughing, praying that I find rest, and the next they were gone.

I drifted around for years, most of my memories fading with the need to feed my endless hunger. I started caring less and less as I never felt satisfied no matter who or what I devoured, the clear vision of my sister's disappointment in me slowly fading as she herself faded in my mind. Souls, Hollows, Shinigami, plenty of Shinigami hunting me and calling me the 'Static Shark'. It made no difference, I was hungry for them all. That stopped when I found her.

I was following a particularly delicious scent, charging my electrical power to stun and devour whatever it was, only to freeze when I found her. She looked so much like my sister I swore that it was her living in the flesh again. She was practicing archery with this glowing bow and she smelled so tasty, but I wasn't hungry. I... I just wanted to talk to her. Protect her. Love her. Be a sister again.

Meeting her

I was watching her for a long time, staying at a distance and always out of her sight. I had barely eaten anything but the occasional Hollow but I didn't care. I was watching over her, making sure she stayed safe. I always tried to look out for my baby sister, but I failed her when I died. Now I had a second chance and I wasn't going to blow it, not again. I only wished I could have reach out, to say 'hi' and 'let's be friends', to be able to laugh and play with her. One day, luck seemed to be on my side while I was trying to find a quick snack.

The pain of hunger was so distracting that I had to leave my sentry post to try and sate it, going to places I once avoided out of fear because of the power that I sensed and realization that the beings there knew when I was there. I saw them watching me from the corner of their eyes, daring me to take a step further than where I was. I was drifting near one such place, a shabby little shop somewhere in the city, when I heard someone wearing a bucket hat and wooden clog shoes talking about a prototype body. One that was supposed to suppress all Reishi and be virtually untraceable by almost any means. I sounded almost too good to be true but I didn't care. Moving with all the electrical power in my being to be like lightning, I stole a mannequin figure that he left out of his shop one day. Gut instinct told me that it was the body I was looking for.

I took it with me, deep into a forest, and studied it for hours, trying to figure out how to put my large shark form into a small human sized body. Suddenly, solely by accident and poking it, I was absorbed into the body. The next instant, I realized that it worked and had a human body! Sure I was naked but I didn't care! I was human again and that meant I could finally meet that girl in person. After spending another few hours trying to figure out how to exit my new body, I succeeded and went to a clothing store to pick out an outfit. Stole several different sizes because I had forgotten what my sizes were, but I succeeded with a dark blue shirt and jeans. I found a pond and looked into my reflection, seeing my dark skin, green eyes,and gray hair. I could say that I dyed my hair, but I was as I remembered being.

I decided to make my move the very next day, finding her near a bakery. I took a few calming breaths and joined her, asking about what her favorite baked goods were. She told me that she's never been to that bakery before and I suggested that we try it out together. It was the first time I had eaten in three days and the first time in years that eating gave me a sense of satisfaction. We talked, we laughed, we had a good time, but she eventually had to go home. She wanted to exchange numbers but I didn't have a phone, so she just gave me hers and said to meet at the arcade if I wanted to hang out tomorrow. I finally had a name for the person I was watching over, Masaki Kurosaki.

Befriending her

I had taken on the name of Mira, my own name just a faded memory, and had been using that in my time with Masaki. Months passing by so easily, just the two of us hanging out and having fun. I learned that she lost her family to when she was younger, taken in by the Ishida family with the intention of marrying her to the son of the family. She didn't mind but it didn't seem like it was going to be a loving marriage. I thought about talking to her about it but she found a way to deflect the conversation as we went into an arcade. I wanted to think of something to tell her, talk to her about it, find any shred of advice that might be able to help, be a supportive sister, but what advice could I have? I was the last person that should be telling her how to live her life when I've been spending most of my afterlife watching her.

Instead I talked to her about how she would prefer her future husband, and future family, to be like. Someone that played off her playful personality, someone that was willing to laugh with her, someone that she could tease, someone that could actually feel alive with her. I told her that given enough time and she could make her husband just as cheery as her, it was hard to hate someone like Masaki Kurosaki and her children would be just as delightful. The next thing she said proved to me that Masaki was a being full of love and joy that makes everyone around her smile.

“Especially if they have their aunt Mira stopping by!” I was stunned when she said that, felt like my heart was in my chest and beating with life again. Could I be part of a family again? Could I have the privilege of being an aunt? It was everything I wanted. I was so busy trying to think about if I deserved this that I didn't notice Masaki dragging me into a photo booth and begin posing with her. I swore to myself that no matter what I would always be with my sister.

Leaving her

I remembered the rain, the pounding pellets of water as I ran to that shop I stole my body from. I was so hungry that I left Karakura in the search for prey, something removing all the sufficient souls and Hollows to sate my hunger that I needed to hunt somewhere else. I was gone for just three days when I felt something wrong in the air, something that happened to Masaki. I rushed as much as I possibly could, flying like lightning to reach her, praying that she was alright. I promised that I would protect her, that I'd keep her safe, and nothing scared me worse than thinking I failed her. I clutched the pendant on my chest, a small thing that held a picture of the two of us making a heart with our hands, and prayed to whatever god was listening that Masaki was safe. The man in the hat and clogs was at the entrance, looking directly at me.

He told me that he knew the entire time what I was, where I was, what I was doing, and he used me to test out an experimental Gigai, the body I was using. I was his guinea pig but I didn't care, I had to see if Masaki was safe. He stopped me by say telling me that I was the last person she needed, that she was attacked by a Hollow and just barely survived, and that if I was to spend any more time with her than she might be vulnerable again. My presence as a Hollow might affect her again and it might just kill her. He also told me that he needed to rewrite Masaki's memories of me as well, since she knew I was the Hollow watching her as well. I... I lost a sister yet again. I dropped to my knees, not sure if the wetness on my face was the rain or my tears.

He said he needed my body back, to study the data for another Gigai model, and that I had a choice. I could stay and let him put me down so I wouldn't have to suffer, or I could run. I ejected myself from body and ran, taking only that small picture pendant with me. I remembered the pain of that chain on my chest eating itself away, I remembered promising that I would rather die than let Masaki get hurt if I could prevent it, losing my sister again hurt worse than my transformation into a Hollow. And I would suffer it again and again for eternity if it meant Masaki was safe.

(End Flashback: Former Night Raid base, With Ichigo)

“I wandered about Hueco Mundo for a while,” Mira kept telling Ichigo her story, rubbing her pendant, “lost myself to the 'eat or be eaten' mindset and fully gave in to my instincts. I just ate and ate, trying to forget my pain, but it backfired. I became a Gillian and never lost myself, held on to my identity long into my transformation into an Adjuchas. Eventually I tried running from Hueco Mundo and found myself in this world, rich in Hollows and souls. Eventually I became this and I stopped being hungry. At some point, I just started repressing my memories and wandered about. One day, I found a familiar scent.”

“And thus you found me.” Ichigo concluded while Mira hugged her knees. They were on the roof of the Night Raid base where they spent hours listening to Mira's story after Ichigo told her about his relation to 'her' Masaki and asked for her story. “Becoming a Vasto Lorde in about twenty years... that's an impressive accomplishment.” Mira smiled sadly.

“I'm glad to hear Masaki's doing good, but it's probably for the best that I don't go back.” Mira looked at her clawed hand, thinking of all the souls she had devoured in her attempt to run from her pain. “I'm a Hollow and Soul Reapers kill Hollows.” She rose to her feet and spread her arms out, waiting for her coming execution. “I won't fight. I've been running from my sorrows for too long. I'm... I'm tired.” Ichigo never once reached for either of his Zanpakuto and instead brought out an Asuachi.

“I won't be taking your life, nor will I be your judge.” Ichigo said, making Mira slightly disappointed, before finding the hilt of the Asuachi pointed at her. “Times have changed Mira, and I need your help. Afterward you can face my mother for yourself, she'll be your judge.” She was about to open her mouth to protest, but Ichigo stopped her. “The Hollow in her is gone. Now, it's just Masaki. If you really want to end it, let it be by her hand. After you apologize to her for your sins.” The look in Ichigo's eyes was the same steely resolve she saw in Masaki's on occasion. The boy may not be as cheerful as Masaki, but he definitely had her fire.

“Very well.” She said as she took the sword. “What must I do?”

(Neutral Meeting Ground)

It was noon the very next day when Makoto got a letter from the Revolutionary army declaring the intent of the leaders to sit down and negotiate. The meeting ground would be in the previous Night Raid hideout before Stylish's sneak attack force them to relocate, the only place that was out of the way with fitting accommodations for their meeting. With the child emperor were generals Budo and Najenda, acting as advisers and guards while Chouri remained in the capital and tried to clean up the mess that was the governing body of the Empire. Now here Makoto sat with people that were once his enemies and now his hopeful allies. He could only pray things worked out in his favor, for the sake of the Empire.

“This meeting is now come to order,” The Lord of the Path of Peace declared, serving as mediator for this event, “may calm heads guide our actions here today.” The Lord arrived with an entourage of his followers shortly after the mass execution of the corrupted officials and helped with keeping the peace as several system were in disarray as a result of said executions. They may have been corrupt, but it left several gaps that needed filling and some positions still hadn't gotten suitable replacements.

“I'm only going to say this once Makoto,” a tanned, scarred, and grizzled man in armor told Makoto with steel in his voice, “the ONLY reason we're even bothering with this is because we all know how vile Honest was. You were his puppet and the instrument of so much death.” Makoto was prepared for the hate, but to hear it so openly reminded him of just how badly he failed his people. “If you think you can buy us off with high positions and forget your sins then you're no different than-!”

“What truly bears the blame for the act of killing?” Najenda cooly interrupted, lighting a cigarette and releasing a puff of smoke. “Does one blame the knife that cut a throat or was stabbed into a back? Does one blame the gun that shot a bullet into a head? Does the soldier bear the blame for the orders of a general? You said so yourself, his majesty was a puppet. A puppet that is now free. Doesn't that mean he deserves another chance?” The man actually glared at Najenda, but his tongue was stilled.

“Of course it does.” A fair skinned man with gray hair side, looking far more sympathetic to the young monarch. “Makoto may have ordered the executions, but anyone could see that it was always to please Honest, who kept him under the delusion of being a good ruler. My main concern is if he really is free and not being manipulated again or have we all forgotten the existence of the Shinigami Najenda reported to us?” The man looked to his associates, demanding an answer.

“Yes, the Soul Reaper,” a red haired woman with glasses said, “the one that appeared, bested the strongest people of the Empire, and shortly after his appearance the Empire started to see a change. Chances are that everything that has happened can be linked back to that Reaper, so do we have the pleasure of his company? For that matter, where is Esdeath?”

“Since you know about Ichigo, you should know that this cult that seeks to conquer our world are his enemies.” Makoto said, speaking up for the first time in the meeting. “General Esdeath and Ichigo are preparing for war.”

(Under the Palace)

“So, are you all sure about this?” Esdeath asked as the forces of Night Raid and the Jaegers stood before her. “You can still back out.” She was supposed to play the role of the kind leader that wouldn't pressure the troops until Ichigo returned from aiding his latest Arrancar's transformation. At her side was Akame who made her decision final yesterday and Kurome who instantly joined her older sister the moment she came down to the underground base while the rest of the Teigu users still had their options.

“I thank you for everything you've done for us general, but I'm done.” Bols said as he set his flamethrower Teigu down. “The only thing that kept me in the service was the idea that I was helping and protecting the people. But... now I don't know if I've done anything but cause pain and suffering.” The masked man reached for his mask and pulled it off, revealing spiky blonde hair and blue eyes on a handsome face. “Unless absolutely necessary, I'm done with killing.” He placed his mask on Rubicante's fuel tank. “I just thought I should tell you in person.” He turned and began to leave. “I think I'll open a restaurant when the war is over. Come find me and we'll all celebrate.”

“BOLS!” Wave yelled out, making the man turn his head. “Thank you for being my friend and comrade! I'll come by every day I can!” The rest of the Jaegers agreed with the sentiment, making Bols shed a few tears at the feeling of acceptance. “As for me,” Wave continued as he walked to Kurome's side, “I'm sticking with you, partner.” He told the girl with a confident smile, reaching for her hand before Akame pulled her sister away with a glare that said 'mine'.

“Well, this looks fun so I'm definitely in!” Leone said with a smile. “I was only ever in this for the fighting anyway, so a new challenge is welcome!” She looked to Esdeath with a more predatory gaze. “Though, I did want to try fighting you once... before realizing how scary you are.”

“Don't worry, you'll have a chance in training.” Esdeath returned the smirk before turning back to rest of the undecided group. “Anyone else want to back out?” Run stepped forward with a determined look set upon his face. “Yes Run?”

“When I was a civilian I was a teacher,” he told everyone, “and I took great pride in my students. Then one day I found them, all of them, raped and murdered, but my village buried that incident because they didn't want anything to tarnish their 'good' reputation. Everything I've done was to hunt that bastard clown down.” He pulled out a wanted poster of the clown that was with Syura. Everyone from that incident that joined the Quincy had a wanted poster. “I want to watch him get dragged into Hell.”

“And after that?” Ichigo asked as he appeared, having finished his part in transforming Mira. “What about after you get your wish?” Run gave a sad smile.

“You can-”

“Go back to being a teacher.” Ichigo interrupted him. “You're not making a deal with the devil, you just want justice to be done. When that is done, go back to being a teacher.” Run was surprised but smiled and nodded, joining the other members of the future Shinigami. “Tatsumi, now's your choice on whether you continue the fight or not. Mine and Chelsea aren't going to cut it.” Ichigo said, infuriating Mine while Chelsea glared at Ichigo.

“What do you mean 'aren't going to cut it'?!” Mine roared. “I'm just as dedicated to saving this-” Everyone was silenced when Ichigo unleashed his Reiatsu, reminding them of what kind of power Ichigo has.

“Do I have your attention? Good. The reason why I'm cutting you two out of the running is because even the assassins of the Shinigami need more strength than either of you two. That position will be filled by Mez and Suzuka because training you two up to par would take too much time that I don't have.” Esdeath looked to the two girls that were furious at the claim, but facing the kind of power Ichigo had didn't leave them the ability to argue. “You're abilities may be useful on the Living front, but you'd just be a liability fighting against Quincy.”

“That's not to say that the Empire won't have need of your services.” Esdeath spoke up when Ichigo dispelled his Reiatsu. “Assassins will always be needed, though any affiliation with the Empire will be denied. But I'm sure we can find something for you to do.”

“If they can sing and dance then they can be idols.” Everyone looked to Ichigo, confused. “Female song and dance artists, really popular where I'm from. Look, they can try to boost morale and... whatever else it is that they want, and use that cover to continue their assassinations.”

“There are always going to be people that need to be removed.” Esdeath continued, now in familiar territory of killing troublesome people. “Especially in the delicate future the Empire has.” She then turned to Tatsumi. “And what about you, Tatsumi?” Tatsumi looked down and thought about his decision.

“I came to the Capital to join the military and send money back to my village. I joined Night Raid after seeing how corrupt the Empire was and wanted to try and fix it. Now that the Empire is changing, I might go through with my original plan to become an officer of the military... but I can't just do nothing with this new enemy threatening the peace!” He looked back to Ichigo and Esdeath. “I'm-!”

“I'll talk to Budo. See if he won't take you on as an apprentice when this is all over.” Esdeath suddenly said, completely ruining the mood. “Welcome to our team, try not to die.” Tatsumi did an impression of a goldfish for a while before Leone pulled her to their side. “Wasn't there one more member of Night Raid?”

“Lubbock's dedicated to Najenda.” Akame answered the general. “The moment he found out about Najenda's return to being a general, he threw himself into lightening her workload.... I haven't seen him since yesterday.”

“Okay then.” Ichigo said before clapping. “Let the torture/training begin.”

(Back at the negotiating table)

“There's still a lot of damage from the war and corruption that still affects the Empire.” The armored man continued. “We sent a few spies and scouts to examine the damage from when the Soul Reaper fought: the capital with minimal damage, the northern territory which now has a ravine in place of much of the forest and two hills, this very location which is almost as bad as the north, the capital again with one of the Jaegers, but the worst was at Kyoroch. We got a report that the Shinigami fought a Quincy in that area and the result was described as 'if every Teigu user had an all out brawl'. But that was between just two fighters, what are you or the Shinigami expecting from us?”

“I doubt anyone less than an experienced Teigu user would be sufficient for aiding in the fight against the Quincy, and even then it depends on the Teigu in question.” Makoto answered, thinking about the little information Ichigo gave him about his scale of battle. “Anyone lacking in physical ability would probably be a liability to him.”

“Example,” Najenda took over, “Mine is an excellent sniper and skilled with Pumpkin, but is one of the physically weaker members of Night Raid so Ichigo would rather see her put to use elsewhere. Tatsumi is one of the least experienced Teigu users but has an astounding growth rate, so he's a likely recruit.”

“So no, we won't be taking anymore to be part of the 'Spirit Battles' as one might say,” Makoto continued, “but that doesn't change the current needs of the military. We need to re-establish our security and build enough for a relief unit in case the fights get a little out of hand. But none are more important right now than scouts and spies.”

“I imagine that they would be dedicated to the Quincy front?” The woman asked, getting nods from the Empire leaders. “We know the threat they represent so finding them is our first priority. We need to know what they are planning.”

(Quincy Base)

“Yes... this one will do nicely.” Dorothea, now in a Quincy styled lab coat, smiled as she observed her latest creation, a human soldier that was mixed with an insect Danger Beast, locked in a glass tank with a bunch of tubes pumping a foul red ooze into the monster within. “Now, what should I experiment with next?” Her hands cackled with electrical energy as she combed through a list of Danger Beasts, walking past row after row of giant glass tubes holding a different abomination of nature. She giggled to herself, looking at the dozens of incubation chambers holding a Chimera of her design and the hundreds more that have yet to be put to use. “Oh... this is annoying.” She sighed, noticing a problem in one of the supply reports.

“What is?” Enshin, now wearing more white as well, asked as he met up with his comrade.

“Well Enshin, according to these latest reports, I'm starting to run low on feed.” Dorothea sighed. “I didn't think I used THAT many people as feed for my creations. What gluttonous babies they are.”

“Lord Gilgamesh did give you a thousand person limit from our own forces. Can't be going through all of the cannon fodder to feed these things now can we?” The pirate smirked while Dorothea looked to her hands.

“I suppose my new Schrift, the Alchemy, made me a little excited.” She looked at her hands, an ever shifting transmutation circle on the back turning to the different elements. “So many things I could do in such a short amount of time, all the experiments that I didn't think I could get to for so long. Now my only limitation is my lack of supplies. Food for my creations, materials to work with, if I had these then I could accomplish a hundred fold what I did these last two days!”

“That's why his highness allowed you to attain a Schrift, but maybe you can help me get one too?” The man suggested, getting Dorothea to raise an eyebrow. “I was a pirate before Syura recruited me, remember? I may have been the pillage and rape sort, but I suppose I can restrain myself to gathering your materials?” The alchemist thought for a moment before nodding, beginning their walk to Giligamesh's throne room. “By the way, do they need to be alive?”

“Just fresh.”


	18. To Unknown Lands

(Empire Underground)

It was a couple of weeks after Makoto's meeting with the Revolutionary leaders and the civil war was brought to an end, but there was still plenty of damage that needed fixing. Makoto was traveling the country with his nation's best and brightest to repair what was broken and cure the sick, distributing what he knew was the stolen money of the people. Relations with the Western Kingdom were still strained seeing as the Empire invaded and conquered a few of their territories while Honest was in command and the people of the North were in far worse shape and mood, demanding Esdeath's head as recompense for their destroyed kingdom. In an effort to try and reach an understanding, he offered to meet the both of them in a neutral space of their choosing in the hopes that he could inform them of the true measure of the threat their world faces.

Budo and Chouri were working together to compromise on budgets, Chouri needing to focus on the economy and well being of the Empire and Budo with the military might and attempting to find any trace of the Quincy with Najenda. The hiccups there are that they don't always agree on what takes priority and every time Najenda brings up even the faintest of leads Budo wants to send a battalion to crush the enemy. Eventually Makoto had to make it an order that the grand general focus on strengthening their forces while Najenda handles the hunt for the Quincy and when she finds anything definitive she'll then inform Ichigo or Esdeath, since they were the leaders of the 'Spirit' unit. At the moment they heard nothing but rumors and hearsay, often around port towns and villages near forests. One of the most consistent rumors is that a small band of people go from place to place and put a dent in aggressive Danger Beast populations and offer any homeless people a place to live. So far Najenda has not yet been able to find any pattern to where these people may show up next, which leaves Spirit with nothing to do but train.

“I keep telling you to start your transformation into a Soul Reaper,” Ichigo told a panting Izou, “you won't be able to beat me like this.” The swordsman took a breath and charged at the hybrid once again, determined to at least make him draw one of his blades, but every swing was either dodged or blocked with Ichigo's bare hands. Izou was adamantly against that because he would rather die than betray his sword Kotetsu which he thought he'd do if he took up an Asuachi. Ichigo could've killed him and then hold the swordsman to his word, but the hybrid wasn't sure if Makoto needed Izou to execute any new criminals and bringing in gigai seemed like a slippery slope with Tatsumi.

“Come on, take this seriously!” Esdeath shouted from her area where she was doing a three against one sparring match against Bulat, Sheele, and Daidara. She eventually stopped defaulting to any of her Teigu abilities while in soul form and has been pushing herself to gain her Shikai, having only recently gotten the hint of the Zanpakuto being a reflection of the wielder. “Come at me like you want to kill me!” The ice user best understood herself in a life or death struggle, but Ichigo was occupied with honoring a bargain and the Arrancar were overseeing the newest Shinigami to the team. Thus she had to spar with the only other ones that managed to learn Shikai.

“Cut! Ten no Sendan!” Sheele called out, charging at Esdeath again while her katana morphed into a thick broadsword with a grip that resembled a scissors. She swung the large blade with ease, with Esdeath knocking it away by hitting the flat of their blades together. Eventually Sheele pulled the grips apart and revealed that her Shikai was just like her former Teigu, except the two halves came apart like dual blades and her movements became more about speed than power. Esdeath still adapted fast enough to outmaneuver the glasses wearing Soul Reaper and knock her back.

“Impale! Shiryoku no Yari!” Bulat yelled out, gaining a spear with a large triangular blade.

“Rend! Yokubo to Notatakai! Daidara roared, getting a large double sided ax. The two of them went at Esdeath in a pincer formation, swinging their blades at her at the last possible second. Esdeath used the hilt of her sword to knock the flat of the ax and throw the former Beast off balance while threw her leg up in a back kick that smashed into Daidara's chest and sending him flying. At the same time she grabbed onto the shaft of Bulat's spear and yanked on it, Bulat's tight grip on his weapon forced him to move with Esdeath's tremendous strength throwing him away as well.

“This is getting me nowhere!” She yelled out in frustration, releasing a pressure comparable to a strong lieutenant or a low ranked captain. She definitely had potential to be a great asset and Ichigo should probably focus on making her stronger, but she had to understand and confront herself if she wanted to get any stronger. Perhaps sending her to her inner world is necessary, but he was concerned with what he'd see in there and he didn't trust her enough to leave her unsupervised. Especially with what her potential Shikai might be.

“Come on! Don't let up!” Marik shouted at the three sparring pairs with Mira shooting the occasional bolt of electricity at them. Mira in her new Arrancar form had a slender and firm build with a six pack on her stomach and a large chest, slightly bigger than Leone's and the lion girl checked, all colored in an exotic mocha colored skin. Her mask fragment was in the form of a hair clip made from shark teeth on the left side of her head with her Hollow hole in where her heart should be. Her outfit consisted of tight black arrancar pants, white sandals, black socks, a white vest that stops above her naval, a black shirt, white fingerless gloves, a sword on the left side of her hip, a choker with the kanji for "lightning" and her golden locket with the picture of Masaki and herself. Marik and herself had the rest of the team sparring against each other while Marik unleashed his Reiatsu with Mira shooting anyone she thought wasn't trying hard enough. Akame was fighting Wave, Tatsumi was fighting Kurome, and Leone was fighting Run, all of them having completed the task of claiming their own Asuachi.

'Well, it's something.' Ichigo thought, catching Izou's blade in his fingers before thrusting his palm into the swordsman's chest and sending him flying. 'I doubt it'll be enough though. I doubt Gilgamesh would have weakling under his command.'

(Somewhere in the Eastern ocean)

Enshin sat on top of the bridge of his new ship, an armed cargo freighter powered by experimental Reishi propellers and was large enough to hold a crew to fifty to operate it with a cargo bay for one thousand or two thousand people if he wanted to push his luck. He took a moment to breath in the ocean air, excited to get back to his original profession of pillage and rape. Dorothea convinced his new master Gilgamesh to grant him a Schrift and this new vessel with a crew of forty-eight soldats to command, along with Syura who was gifted this chance to prove himself. Three weeks of waiting around for their new plan, gathering meat for Dorothea's creations and materials for this vessel, now he was to sail into unknown lands to cut loose and bring back as much materials as he could.

“There you are.” Enshin purred when he saw the massive and ever present storm that separated the East from the rest of the world. He jumped onto the deck, where Syura was waiting, and grabbed a blue jeweled trident. The trident was a magical artifact to control the seas and Syura was there so he could record the location data for Shambala so they could leave the storm intact to cover their trail. “You ready to taste what the East has for us my friend?” Enshin asked his dark skinned partner before holding the trident aloft. “LET'S GO!” He shouted as the spear's head pulsed and the waters and wind before them calmed. “All ahead full!” He yelled, thrusting the trident forward and sending his vessel flying through the waters.

It was a genius plan in theory, even if some found it rather disgusting. Because of that storm the way to the Eastern lands was impassable to the point it the nation was almost a myth if not for the book Teigu Rongo Rongo being a complete series of maps of the whole world. Syura studied that book extensively before leaving on his journey around the world and the East was the one place he failed to go to, a problem he was now going to rectify. As for the plan itself? It was no secret that Dorothea's experiments demand a lot of resources, but they had to keep their base of operations a secret while they gathered their strength. So they aimed for the one location where the Soul Reaper wouldn't be able to track their Reishi, the Eastern nation, where they could gather all the 'food' for the Alchemist's chimeras that she would need. Nothing could go wrong for them.

Except for a single scout ship that found the calm waters and wondered on its significance for twenty minutes before the storm resumed.

(Empire Palace: War Room)

News of the strange weather phenomenon reached the capital three days later, calling a meeting of the leaders of the capital and Ichigo Kurosaki. Every record the Empire had on that region of the sea never once had a case of calm waters and with the only Teigu that could've had any part of that being in the possession of the Empire the only other conclusion was that the Quincy had begun to act. So now the emperor, the generals, and navy admirals privy to the situation were meeting in the room with a large copy of the map of the Eastern nations and territories.

“Okay, here's what we actually know,” Budo started, holding up Rongo Rongo itself, “though the knowledge we have is thousands of years old, we do know that there is land to the East, we have a translation of what is likely the language of that nation, and that nation is actually connected to the origins of the Teigu Murasame. We know that the Quincy are heading to that location but we don't know why. Shinigami, do you have any ideas?” Ichigo stood up and addressed the gathered officials.

“If I had to say, they're recruiting people and maybe even Danger Beasts. The ancient Quincy King, Yhwach, could make normal people into Quincy by sharing a part of his soul and empower them to become Quincy. Since that was a thousand years ago, I don't think it's outside of the realm of possibility for them to somehow figure out how to do it without Yhwach present. Especially since that bastard is still alive. He's not in this plane, I would've sensed him.” The hybrid quickly said when Budo started to raise his hand.

“So we're suspecting that they're trying to bolster their numbers by gathering people and animals in a foreign land.” Esdeath surmised, her own tactical mind working to piece together the puzzle before her. “They still have the Teigu Shambala, which can teleport to pretty much any location but I'm guessing it requires a lot of energy for distance and numbers. Meaning if we want to stop this before it gets out of hand then we must act now.” She looked to Ichigo, expecting a bad answer to her next question. “Do you think any of Spirit is ready for the fights to come?”

“You, Marik, and Mira are the only ones I think are ready enough to fight and I don't have to worry about dying without me to watch you, but I don't have a choice since the Quincy are moving. So here's who I'm taking for this mission, Esdeath as my second in command, Wave for his naval experience, Akame for her sword skills, and Mira. Admiral, prepare us a small vessel that can hold enough supplies for a month at sea and I'll see if I can't make an electrical engine.”

(Two days later, Eastern seas)

“Man! Day one and what a haul!” Enshin cheerfully shouted as he checked out the cargo bay, three hundred able bodied people bound in chains with coolers holding more body parts from the people's dead comrades. Enshin and Syura were expecting hostilities as unknowns, especially when they begin to pillage and rape the village they'd come across, but they never even reached land when they got these people. They were already fighting each other by the time the Quincy found them, two opposing armies already tired and weak became easy prey for the Quincy pirate and his crew. But all those bodies only filled half of the cargo bay, the rest was used to house a massive sea serpent Danger Beast that attacked them while they were crossing the Storm region of the sea... what was left of it at least.

“You'd think at least one woman would be still be alive.” Syura complained, stuffing a female torso into a cooler. “Haven't had any relief in weeks. But at least we completed our objective... gonna need a bigger boat for next time.”

“It's a ship Syura!” Enshin snapped, taking vessel terminology seriously. “And yes, if we do this again then we'll need a larger ship to hold more bounty. Let's go topside and get you a decent landmark to get us back here.” Syura nodded, heading up to do just that with Enshin following close behind. The vast waters surrounded them, only broken by two masses of land of the island nations and the canal dividing them. This is where the battle took place and their harvest began. When they return, they'll land and sample more of what this land has to offer. Syura activated his Shambala and the entire vessel disappeared from sight.

(With Spirit)

As he ordered, three days later, they had a vessel from the imperial navy. It was a scout ship with a single turret on the bow of the vessel and armored for light combat, not an issue for some of the crew but better safe than sorry. The outfitters installed the new electrical propulsion system while Ichigo attached the power cords to Mira to serve as their battery. Now they were a day and a half out at sea and covered five days worth of travel otherwise. Ichigo had with him Mira to power the ship, Esdeath who was trying to commune with her Zanpakuto, Wave who piloted the ship, Akame who did enter jinzen, and Mine, Chelsea, and Tatsumi. The last three were because Makoto wanted to establish diplomatic relations with the Eastern continent and those three would serve as his diplomats.

“We should reach the storm region in another two hours!” Wave called out over the roars of the wind and engine. Ichigo paid little attention as he kept watching Esdeath, the subtle twitches of irritation giving away her current attitude. Whatever was stopping her progress was deep, subconscious rejecting herself deep, and after so many weeks of waiting for her to get to this point naturally his patience wore out.

“Alright Esdeath, looks like we're doing this the hard way.” He said as he got up and went over to the general, who opened her eyes when she felt him come near. “I think we can both agree that this is taking too long and we don't have the time to have you do this naturally. So just relax and open your mind.” She took a deep breath and watched Ichigo place his hand in front of her face. She saw a white light eminent from his palm and she blacked out. “Wave! Wake us up when we get to the storm!” Ichigo called out to the young navy officer as he picked up and carried Esdeath to the sleeping quarters. “Alright,” he said as he set her down, “let's see what this world of your is like.” He sat down and used his connection to her soul to go to her inner world.

(Esdeath's Inner World)

Ichigo wasn't surprised by what he saw, he was expecting a blizzard and ice... lots and lots of ice and rock. It was a frozen wasteland of death and that fit Esdeath perfectly, it was only missing thousands of corpses and the general would likely feel right at home. Instead she was looking around with a frenzied focus, trying to find something that only she could feel.

“He's coming.” She said cryptically as the ground began to shake. Soon a massive skeletal hand broke through the ice and started to push the rest of a massive body free from beneath them. A colossal skeleton with ice for its flesh, a freezing cold blue glow in its eyes, mouth, and chest flashing like a beating heart. In its right hand was a massive blade as long as the creature's arm, on the head were four massive and weathered horns, with what looked like two lower jaws that split open to release of stream of frozen air, so cold that frost was appearing on the pair's skin.

“You.... are not welcome here.... boy.” It said in an ancient and tired tone that still spoke volumes of madness and bloodlust. “Leave this place.” Instead of getting intimidated, Esdeath stepped forward and challenged the being.

“You're MY Zanpakuto, are you not?!” She roared at the giant, standing tall and proud. “Give me my power! I don't have time to care about whether you think I deserve it!”

“Do not.... presume to..... command me.... weakling!” The giant growled, making ice spikes erupt from the ground and stop just inches from stabbing into Esdeath. “'The... strongest of... the empire?' So... easily broken. So... desperate... for power. You... enslaved... yourself.”

“Is that why I'm not welcome?” Ichigo called out. “Because I pretty much decide whether she lives or dies?” The giant's response was to lift its sword aloft and bring it down on Ichigo's head, but just as it begun the downward swing he was restrained with lines of burning black Reishi. Ichigo's Reishi.

“Down. Behave yourself.” Zangetsu ordered, appearing on the giant's horn. The blizzard grew fiercer, reflecting the giant's rage. “Like you can scare me.” The hybrid blade taunted as it dropped down to his master. “So, how do you think to fix this?” Ichigo took a moment to think.

“Esdeath, do you resent me for beating you?” He asked the ice mistress, surprising the woman. “Do you think of yourself as weak? Do you hate me for our deal?” She was about to answer before Ichigo pointed at the skeletal giant. “The Zanpakuto is a reflection of its master, your every strength and weakness, so before you answer you should take a good long look at yourself.” She looked at Ichigo, then up to her Zanpakuto spirit who remained silent, then back to Ichigo.

“...yes. I do.” The general admitted. “I grew up on the concept that the strong devour the weak and I was the strongest of all before you appeared. Instead of killing me, you dominated me, then enslaved me for your war. It's humiliating, but I ignored that in favor of gaining more power and fighting greater battles. Even now, I burn to defeat you... but now I only want to do so under my own power.” She faced the giant and unsheathed her blade. “If you are a reflection of my soul, then I now know how to hear your name!” She settled into a battle stance. “I shall make you submit!”

“....tain! ….go!” Everyone paused, hearing a new voice. “...aptain! ...higo!” Ichigo went over to Esdeath and clapped with a flash of light.

(Back on the ship)

“Captain! Ichigo!” Wave yelled out, breaking the pair free from their trip into Esdeath's inner world. “There's the storm.” He pointed to the impassable section of the sea and everyone on board fully understood why the East had remained out of reach for so long. A massive funnel cloud so vast it could consume an entire city was above them and groups of competing whirlpools fighting each other with violent waves. Under normal circumstances, no one would be able to pass through and realistically expect to survive. This is where Ichigo and Esdeath come into play.

“Freeze the waters, I'll take care of the sky.” The hybrid ordered as the two went to the bow of the ship. Esdeath jumped off the side and focused all of her energy into freezing the water before her. Within minutes of freezing everything, many cracking and breaking into separate chunks before freezing again, the path before them was frozen solid and the effort showed with Esdeath panting from the feat. Ichigo helped her back onto the ship and pointed his gaze skyward.

“Alright, let's try this again.” He said, raising a hand up and created an aura in to shape as a dragon's head with puffed up cheeks. “Ura Hado: Sannodo. Teppusatsu!” He roared, chopping at the sky and making the dragon shot out its breath. The technique created a gust of wind so strong it pushed the ship out of the water, sent streams of ocean water and ice chunks into the air, and blew away the funnel cloud into nothingness. “Still needs some work.” Ichigo grumbled, rubbing his numb right arm.

“Impressive as usual, but how are we going to cross now?” Wave asked, making everyone look ahead to the massive chunk of ice stretching for miles before them, completely impassable by sea vessel. Ichigo wordlessly held up his good arm and fired a nameless Sokatsui that burned a canal in the ice with a large Shakkaho melting away the remaining ice between the ship and the canal. “Of course he does.” Wave mumbled as they weighed anchor and proceeded on their way.

(With Gilgamesh)

“How much longer until you can make your next trip?” Giglamesh asked of Syura, who was kneeling before him with Enshin. The corpses were all but exhausted but the sea serpent Danger Beast provided ample nutrition for the growing horde of chimeric beasts the alchemist was making, not that it would last forever. “I have given you a much larger vessel to use and I expect ten times the amount you brought back last time.”

“Another three days my lord,” Syura told his master, “it'd be unwise to rush Shambala.”

“I don't care about that trinket. Do whatever you have to to limit the wait time and keep your cover. My monsters won't feed themselves on my men, unless they truly fail me.” He left them with the threat hanging like the sword of Damocles over their heads. As he was returning to his study to indulge in some fine drink, his trusted second silently made his way to his master. “Xaro, what news do you bring?”

“It appears that the Empire has learned of your expeditions into the East and Ichigo has gone to lead them.” The raggedy dressed hooded Quincy answered. “The Empire is left without its strongest protectors. Do you have any new orders?” Gilgamesh took a moment to think over this new information.

“Enshin and Syura are not to be told, they need to prove themselves capable in a fight. Personally, I find most of these native mongrels to be completely disgusting and reprehensible. Bring me the fat clown and the singer, I'll be sending them to the Capital. Maybe they can figure something out, and I hope that hybrid mongrel takes his time with killing that clown when he returns.”

“You believe Ichigo will return from the East victorious?” Xaro asked, seeing his master smirk.

“That mongrel will die by my hand alone. Anyone else are mere toys.”

(Illustrated Guide to Forgiveness)

Letting Go

After making the choice to become a Shinigami, Kurome was confronted by Ichigo about the Teigu she had. Truth be told ever since she got clean from the drugs she had the ability to see spirits and all of them were the ghosts of people she killed. Each one accusing her, reminding her of her crimes, and the ones trapped within Yatsufusa crying out for release. It didn't surprise her when Ichigo called the Teigu an abomination that must be broken but he let it be to serve as Kurome's first steps toward paying for her sins.

The first task was digging a grave for the sword, representing all of the lives it took and the souls it trapped within itself. Kurome had no help, only the occasional break for food and water, as she did the first labor of her penance. It would never be deep enough to all of the lives she ended, but it was a start. She started in the morning and ended as the sun set. Once she finished, Ichigo ejected her from her body and told her to Konso every apparition that appeared before her and save the people in her Teigu for last. She looked each one in the eye and apologized to every last one as she sent them off.

“Okay... finished.” She panted, exhaustion hitting her hard from a long day of digging and a long night of Konso. The sun began to rise again by the time she got to the last soul. “It's... it's time I... let you go... Natala.” Kurome said, starting to tear up. Natala was a young man with short blonde hair and blue eyes with a mask over his mouth and wearing a white trench coat with knee high boots. “I know it was selfish but... I....” Kurome did start crying, crying for having to let go of her old friend she couldn't let die. He was with her through their assassination training and with her through many many missions. He reached out to Kurome and patted her on the head, making her stop and look at him with tears pouring down her face.

“I forgive you Kurome.” He told her, removing his mask and giving her a smile. “Besides, you got some good friends watching over you now. More importantly, you got your sister back.” Kurome released a few more sobs before looking at Natala with a smile.

“Rest in peace. You deserve it.” She tapped her Zanpakuto against his head and sent him on, dropping to her knees as soon as his soul was gone and being hugged by her sister. Ichigo took hold of Yatsufusa and held it skyward. He charged a Cero and wordlessly blasted the Teigu into oblivion. Kurome returned to her body, picked up the shovel, and began to fill in the hole. Now she had to bury her past, Akame and Ichigo didn't leave her side once. And neither did Kurome's new smile.


	19. Another War Torn Country

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is mixing with Hinowa Ga Crush, Akame ga Kill's sequel series.

(With Ichigo and Co.)

The hybrid stood atop the bow of the vessel, vigilant to anymore sea monsters that would've attacked them and become the crew's meal as a result. Esdeath stayed in perpetual jinzen, fighting her Zanpakuto spirit for the ability to summon her powers, while Akame continued to study the language of the Eastern continent within Rongo Rongo. She was also teaching Mine and Chelsea since they were to be the diplomatic envoys of the Empire, while Wave and Tatsumi failed to be any kind of fluent in the language. Ichigo figured he'd pick it up from the souls of the dead if that was possible. They were sailing for another day or so before finally seeing land again.

“Land ho!” Ichigo called out, getting everyone's attention. “It appears we've reached Jinwa... or whatever this place will be called now. We'll find out from the... locals.” The hybrid stopped as the rest of the crew joined and saw and felt what he did. “It... it's actually worse than the Empire.” Hollows, hundreds of millions of souls and Hollows could be felt. “Look alive people. Be ready for if this place is as depraved as Honest's Empire.” It took Ichigo forever to deal with all the wandering souls when he first came to this world in the Empire's capital region alone. Sure he has some more Shinigami now, but they'd likely be far too busy with diplomacy.

“Looks like we're drawing a crowd.” Mine said, looking through Pumpkin's scouter scope and seeing all the people gathering on the beach. For Ichigo it was like looking at an old time fishing town of Japan; straw and wood buildings and huts, people wearing fundoshi loinclothes, they may as well have gone to the Warring States era of Japan, especially with all the souls flooding the land and the smell of death that permeated the air. “That old guy off to the side might be able to tell us something.” Ichigo squinted before taking a pair of binoculars and seeing the man in question with five teenagers, three boys and two girls.

The old man had a long pointed and white beard and mustache wearing light robes with a walking stick. The first teen was a girl that had chin length red hair in a blue headband and blue eyes, wearing a halter top and short shorts that were colored black, white, and blue and she held a single edge straight sword. Next was a young man with a black ponytail with brown eyes wearing a white shirt with a black vest and blue trousers with a brown sash, he also had a sword. The next boy had black hair and brown eyes as well with his hair tied in a pulled back ponytail topknot mohawk with shaved sides, wearing a black long sleeved shirt with a baggy white jacket and blue trousers and he had a bow with arrows. The last boy had dark hair and dark gray eyes and dressed like he worked in a temple shrine with a spear in hand. The last girl had knee length blonde hair in a ponytail and gray eyes wearing a small white tanktop and baggy black pants with two swords at her side.

“Those kids have spilled blood.” Esdeath said, recognizing experienced hands but not true warriors. Probably experienced in fighting off bandits and pirates maybe, possibly with hopes of joining an army later. “Wave! I don't see a proper dock so let's stop as close to the beach as safely possible.” Esdeath ordered with the naval officer getting to work on that.

“Mira! Come here!” Ichigo summoned the Arrancar who almost immediately appeared at his side. “Start rounding up the Hollows here. I don't wanna spend too much time distracted by all of them.” She nodded and flashed toward the inland to do her given mission. They practically beached their vessel, pulling up the keep and Wave removing their propellers while Ichigo, Tatsumi, and Esdeath pulled it onto the sand. As they did, the old man and the children walked toward them with Akame, Mine, and Chelsea going to greet them.

“Greetings,” Mine hopefully said in their language, “is this land Jinwa?” The people looked surprised, but the old man took it in stride.

“This land hasn't been called that in a very long time, hundreds of years in fact. Now it is known as the Soukai nation. Are... are your companions alright?” He asked as Tatsumi and Wave kept getting distracted by all of the souls.

“They are just on guard, our information of this area is over a thousand years old and it was limited knowledge at that.” This sparked many of the adults to start talking in surprise while Mine continued. “We come from an empire far to the west.” The teens with the old man looked shocked and excited while the adults were a bit more skeptical.

“You really expect us to believe a brat like you!?” Someone yelled out, getting a few more of the adults to join in. “There's nothing to the west but a massive storm and giant freaks! There's no way anyone could come through there!” Mine clenched her teeth but held her tongue while Chelsea turned to Esdeath and gave a single nod. Esdeath smiled and placed her hand on the sand before swiping it toward the ocean, generating a massive amount of ice for all to see.

“We come from the Grand Empire to the west, we have made great advancements in civilian living and in military prowess. We calmed the storm that barred our way to come here.” Chelsea proudly announced to the assembled crowd. “Now, may we speak with your king about forming diplomatic relations?” After a few seconds some people started running, whether it was to find their king was unknown to the envoy. The old man offered the group his home while they wait for news from the king and the group gratefully accepted. Ichigo said he'd tour the island alone and disappeared to do his duty as a Soul Reaper, leaving the rest of the group to meet with the elder.

“I believe I should introduce myself,” the man started as the kids began serving food and tea, “I'm simply called the elder and these are my students. Hinowa, Hisame, Yumehachi, Suzumaru, and Tobari.” He said, pointing at the red haired girl, the boy with the sword, the boy with the mohawk, the boy in shrine garb, and the blonde girl. “Though, your country did pick a rather fortuitous time to seek relations.”

“While your country is at war.” Esdeath suddenly said, taking a sip of her tea and surprising her companions. Even Akame who was scarfing down her meal. “I studied the language while I rested from my training. Those children aren't training to fight bandits and pirates. They aim to eventually join the army and you're training them to do that.”

“It is as you said,” Hinowa admitted, “we are planning to eventually join the Soukai army.”

“For the past hundred years, this entire continent has been in a state of perpetual war as countries fight for dominance.” The elder continued. “This children are stubborn but have... mostly good intentions.” Each one of the kids glared at Yumehachi, who was staring at Esdeath like he was in love. “Soukai is a small nation so they'd welcome a new ally. But I believe there's another reason why you're here.” He said, looking over the group. “Something about you hints that there is more.”

“There is.” Akame admitted, after she finished her meal. “Our country is hunting a criminal group that threatens to topple our nation but is currently in hiding from us. We have reason to believe they went east and thus we followed. To forge diplomatic ties is killing two birds with one stone.” The elder nodded in understanding.

“Someone went to send word to his majesty so he might send someone close to him to investigate. Let's hope this meeting serves to benefit both sides.”

(The Next Day)

Morning came and the group went over what information they now had; Ichigo and Mira were still gone, the elder that housed them left early that morning to go about his day outside the village since he only came by once a week to teach the kids, the men of the village was looking down on the kids because of their age like a bunch of condescending fathers and Esdeath had a few words to share with them on that. Esdeath also punished the Yumehachi boy when he tried to peep on her and the rest of the girls while they bathed in a hotspring. Now the only things left was to go about hunting for any hint of the Quincy and wait for the diplomatic envoy from the Soukai king. Tatsumi and Chelsea went out scouting since they had greater stealth potential, Wave joined the fishermen with fishing since he had little else to do, Mine was reading some of the elder's scrolls, and Esdeath and Akame were watching the girls practice.

“These kids do have a lot of potential, but it's like staring at uncut and unpolished gemstones.” Esdeath said, watching Hinowa and Tobari spar with Tobari winning their match by a quick blow to the head. “Hinowa has a lot of potential but almost everything about her style seems self-taught, same with the other kids.” Akame nodded, analyzing what they saw. Hinowa had the speed and strength but was lacking in proper technique, Tobari seemed to have had some actual prior training but adopted her own dual sword style, and what little she saw of the boys showed that they were rather capable with their chosen weapon, even Yumehachi showed respectable expertise with his bow.

“They want to join the army when the time comes, but how far do you see them going?” Akame asked, making the general think critically about how she evaluated the teens.

“Hisame and Hinowa definitely have bright futures, probably military generals or commanders but I'd have to see them in action. The rest are squad leaders, at best.” The pair then noticed Hisame coming by with a basket of vegetables and an idea sparked in Esdeath's head. “Akame, think you can train Hinowa in the sword? I'll play a few strategy games with that one.” She said, pointing to Hisame.

“Promise not to take things too far.” Akame pleaded as the two went about their tasks.

(Storm Region)

“We need to plan our attack.” Enshin admitted as their cargo freighter came to the site of the endless storm, finding evidence of Esdeath's presence by the massive chunks of ice and making the waves much more treacherous by the ice in the waters and the wind's raging tempest. Syura brought out Shambala and teleported them beyond the range of the storm on the other side. “What do we have again?”

“About five chimera, fifty soldats, another fifty regular soldiers, and the two of us.” The dark skinned man answered. “Did you get enough practice with your Schrift?”

“I doubt it. I've been experimenting, but I don't know if it'll be enough. I still have my Teigu Shamshir, so it'd be best to wait until the full moon for when we dock. If we meet then we'll be ready, if not then we'll have plenty of looting to do anyway. But what are the odds that we'll encounter them the moment we get there?”

(Timeskip)

Almost two weeks had passed since they came to Yaenami village, since a messenger left to inform the king of their arrival, since they started their investigation, since Esdeath and Akame took the teens under their wings, since Ichigo disappeared with Mira. Tatsumi and Chelsea came back with nothing useful to their hunt, the teens flourished under Esdeath and Akame's mentorship, and the king of Soukai arrived as the sun was setting. A well built barrel of a man with thick arms and a blunt wide face, hair that was wiry like it was still wet from a soak in the sea with a thick bushy mustache. The two groups once again met within the Elder's home.

“When I heard about the visitors from the west, I admit I was skeptical,” the king heartily laughed to the gathered imperial envoy, “but the story itself was just too interesting to pass up! To think, a ship made of metal and a woman that could command ice. A beautiful woman I might add.” He winked to Esdeath, who promptly ignored it. “I am Sotetsu, king of the Soukai nation. I heard you were on a diplomatic mission from the 'Grand Empire' to the west?” The king didn't dress like one would expect a royal to, wearing baggy leggings and a thin short robe that left his chest exposed and a bandana on his head. He looked like a regular fisherman, but his soldiers couldn't be mistaken for anything else. A deeply tanned man with a similar build to the king with a short beard stood out among his peers as a dangerous one.

“Yes, we are,” Mine answered, “our Emperor wishes to eventually unite the world and end war or at least make it less common.” This got the attention of the king and his entourage. “According to our history the nations of the world were at one time connected a thousand years ago. Jinwa, one of the former names of this place, was cited as the origin of one of our most dangerous weapons.” At that Akame took out her Murasame and presented it to the king's group, some of whom gasped in surprise.

“Is this a Meihou from your land?!” Asked a more slender man with sharp pointed features and then saw the confused looks on the faces of the Empire party that could understand the language. “Meihou are weapons made using Freaks as a base to grant them enhanced abilities.”

“That is similar to most of the Teigu.” Esdeath said to her companions before turning to the king's party. “We call our weapons Teigu and they are the result of the greatest minds at the time coming together to create them. That sword is known as the 'One-hit killer, Murasame', due to it's ability to kill any living thing with a single cut.” Everyone from Soukai edged away from Akame when they heard that. “That was but one example and the blade is said to have originated from this land. These two” Esdeath pointed to Wave and Tatsumi, “have swords that cloak them in armor that enhances their abilities. My own power,” she created a ball of ice, “is in my very blood. Many of the techniques that created these weapons were unfortunately lost to us.”

“Do you think you could make more if you had the proper experts?” Sotetsu asked, his mind already at work on trying to get the best out of the situation. “Soukai is a small nation but a prosperous one. My initial interest was in how could this meeting make my country more rich, but I'd be a poor king if I didn't think of how to defend my nation and people.”

“Unfortunately your highness, I cannot speak of what my emperor is willing to give until I can get back to him with the results of our talks here.” Mine said, making the king frown but give an understanding nod. “I'm sure he'll be happy to negotiate when he hears you accepted creating ties with us.” When she finished that, there was a loud explosion and screams began to cry out. This made everyone rush out of the building to see the empire's patrol ship gutted and on fire with a leviathan vessel heading for the shore. Normal humans saw holes suddenly appear and people falling dead, but the spiritually aware saw glowing arrows of light.

“It's the Quincy! Move!” Esdeath shouted, making the group of Teigu users spring into action. The general immediately summoned a wall of ice that completely blocked the rest of the village from any further arrows while leaving a small gap on the bottom that was only wide enough for two people to get through. Mine ran off to the side, getting Pumpkin ready, and searched for a vantage point to snipe any target she could while Chelsea had to take over the evacuation and the unenviable task of explaining what just happened. Esdeath and the rest of the team gathered by the opening in the ice and planned for their next move.

“I'll create a bridge between us and that cargo freighter, after that I want Tatsumi to get up there and create as much havoc as possible while we keep their attention on us.” Esdeath ordered, slipping into her leader role with ease in the absence of Ichigo. “On my mark. Ready?” Everyone tensed, Akame and Esdeath materializing their Zanpakuto as a result of their spiritual training. “Mark!” They all leaped into action, Esdeath using all of her leg strength to close the gap and dodge every bolt. The moment she touched the water it began to until the water between her and the ship was a massive chunk of ice and the freighter was stuck in place.

“Here we go!” Tatsumi said with urgency, turning invisible with Incursio while Esdeath, Wave, and Akame made themselves targets for the Quincy. Tatsumi reached the ship, summoning Incursio's auxiliary spear, and was ready to cut through the hull before a barbed stinger smashed through and just barely missed Tatsumi. “What the!?” He gasped as a long skeletal clawed hand and a thick scorpion pincer tore open a hole with a pale humanoid head releasing an ear piercing shriek. It had milky white eyes filled with black veins, a mouth full of tentacles and needle-like teeth, and sickly pale skin... which looked melted as it gave way to a shiny exoskeleton on the right side of its body. The creature soon fully emerged to reveal scorpion's body with three stinger tails moving with eel-like flexibility and it was staring directly at Tatsumi.

'What the hell is this thing!?' He thought in horror as his invisibility failed due to broken concentration. The tentacles in its mouth writhed hungrily as it quickly lashed out to grab the armored youth, only to miss as Wave tackled Tatsumi out of the way and Akame stabbed the abomination in the side with her Teigu which made it screech out in pain. The assassin waited for it to die by Murasame's power but was shocked when it didn't immediately die and instead grabbed onto her and slammed her against the hull. “Akame!” Tatsumi shouted as he got his spear and attacked the beast again only to have to dodge as one of the stingers sprayed acid at him and Wave had similar results.

“How could you hesitate Akame?” Esdeath asked, suddenly appearing and cutting the humanoid half off of the body and while surprised by both bodies still moving she didn't hesitate to cut them both to bits. “Those were similar to Stylish's experiments, only worse.” She said, looking over the corpse before sensing another attack. “Move!” She ordered, making the others move just as another barrage of arrows came down on them along with a few bodies that had holes in their heads.

“Good going Mine.” Tatsumi said as the arrows decreased again... because some were now being aimed at the dark skinned soldier that was one of Sotetsu's guard who was charging down the ice and roaring a battle cry with an ornate katana in hand. “That idiot will get himself killed!” Just as Tatsumi said that, another chimeric monster tore open the bow's hull to reveal a large ape-like frame covered in blue scales with a crocodile snout and scaly bat wings with its claws having hideously gnarled talons. A small flash of light precede a torrent of flame that raced toward the man, forcing him to roll to the side to dodge and he continued to charge.

“Let her do her thing.” Esdeath quickly said, raising Wave and Tatsumi on pillars of ice. “Take care of the enemy topside, I'll take go inside and see if they have anymore of these creatures!” She turned back to the hole in the hull, hearing some more growls. “Entertain me.” She smiled as she walked in.

(With Akame)

“Begone from this land monsters!” The warrior roared as he almost reached the chimera, the abomination raising its claw to attack. Akame saw an opportunity and rushed at the beast, retrieving Murasame in her run, and poised to strike. The monster's head twisted 180 degrees and fired another blast of flame at the assassin but Akame was far more nimble and jumped over, reaching her target and stabbing into its eye. As she did that the Soukai warrior reached the monster and swung with all his might into cutting open the stomach of the chimera, only to get his blade stuck just scratching the surface.

'No living creature can survive a single cut from my Murasame,' Akame thought while holding on and swiftly blinding the creature with another stab in the other eye, 'so how are these things immune?' She focused her hearing through the screams and sounds of battle and trying to feel a pulse in the monster's neck, soon getting her answer. 'Multiple hearts. Three more if I'm guessing.' The Sokai warrior abandoned his sword and went with knocking the beast off-balance, striking the knee and flipping it onto its side. Akame ripped Murasame out of its eye and aimed to impale the monster in the mouth, seeking to sever its brain-stem. Somehow the chimera sensed her coming to it and prepared to chomp down on her arm, forcing her to throw her Teigu instead of risking her arm. The blade stabbed into the back of the beast's throat and poke through the back of the neck, just as the monster snapped its jaws shut. The beast attempted to swing at Akame but found the warrior holding its arm and getting it into an arm bar, a grip that was failing when the monster began to fight against him.

“I'm borrowing this!” Akame said as she landed on the chimera's stomach and ripped out the sword from the creature's gut. It roared at Akame, trying to get to its feet and throwing the warrior aside, and Akame took the opportunity to cut the hinges of it jaws and made the lower jaw go slack. Akame reached for her Teigu but the beast released another torrent of flame and forcing her back. The warrior came back didn't shy away from the fire and grabbed onto the hilt of the sword, ripping it free and quickly decapitating the chimera the rest of the way. The heat became too unbearable for the warrior and he dropped the Teigu, looking at his badly charred and shaking hands, and was smacked aside by the still moving body that was flailing about blindly and smashing the ice.

'Persistent.' Akame thought as her Teigu still glowed with heat and melting the ice, finally smiling as an idea came to her. She picked up a few pieces of ice and threw it at the monster, getting its attention and making it charge at her. She continued to keep its attention on her and guiding it to the ice's edge, dodging on its last charge where it fell into the ocean and sank like a stone. Akame stayed to watched the bubbles slowly end as the monster failed to float in the waters until it finally drowned. With that done she made her way back to her Teigu to inspect the damage, finding the hilt and guard practically burned away. “You could've died.” Akame stated as the warrior came to her, holding ice to his burned hands.

“Your companion told us about who these enemies of yours are and what soldier doesn't act when his nation is being invaded?” He returned as Akame rose to her feet and sheathed her Teigu. “My name is Waniba, a commander of the Soukai military.”

“Akame... special forces and thanks for the assist.”

(Tatsumi and Wave)

The pair shot up on a pillar of ice to the deck of the freighter, both armored youths dodging spirit arrows and falling bodies as they closed the distance. Within a second they were already on deck and moving as fast as their armor enhanced bodies would allow, Tatsumi throwing his spear at a soldat in the group that was shooting at Mine while Wave went to take care of the ones shooting at Akame. The Quincy were dangerous beings with their spirit bows and arrows but they were still humans, only as dangerous as their training and skill makes them. In other words, the soldats were no match for two trained Teigu users and their sniper back up as the pair quickly mowed down the enemy with a mix of martial arts and spear work as Incursio's auxiliary spear was passed between the two.

“That the last of them?” Wave asked while snapping a soldat's neck.

“Probably,” Tatsumi replied while flinging the remaining blood of his spear, “but I didn't exactly count how many were up here first. Some may have run down into the ship.” Wave started walking toward a door that would lead inside the vessel when the sound of metal groaning stopped him, making the pair look around before getting back to back and prepared to fight again. They waited and listened to the groaning of the the metal, silently hoping that it was Esdeath's fighting something despite her being oddly silent during this whole attack. The two boys saw a large, bulging and writhing tentacle slowly crawling toward them, slithering like it was blind and was trying to find them. As it got closer, Tatsumi raised his spear and cleaved cut through the worm-like appendage like a log. The base part retracted, oozing a black fluid, while the part Tatsumi cut off split open to reveal wicked looking teeth.

“What the hell?” Wave asked, dreading whatever abomination they would be fighting now. Soon the bridge and accommodation of the vessel exploded in a mass of writhing tentacles of differing sizes, many with barbed claws at the end and others that split open to reveal fanged mouths either along the body or at the very end of the tentacle. Soon a... shape rose up that seemed like the main root of the writhing mass, like a pillar made of tentacles. “What did these Quincy do?” Wave asked as more tentacles shot toward them.

“Heads up!” Tatsumi cried out as spun his spear around, cutting any of the slimy appendages that got too close to him. Wave had to rely on the enhanced speed and strength given to him by Grand Chariot to do as much damage as he could by chopping and kicking at the limbs so hard and fast that he cuts through them. The pair put up a valiant defense but there were too many tentacles coming at them all at once and they soon found their legs wrapped up in the slithery grip. The two were yanked off their feet and were soon hanging helplessly in the air as more tentacles wrapped around them, keeping them immobilized as two mouthed tentacles came for the pair. The one that came for Tatsumi opened its tip and began to swallow him whole, making the teen scream in horror and struggle as much as he could.

“Tatsumi!” Wave cried out as he watched his teammate get sucked into the massive limb while the one that came for him revealed the teeth and mouth along its body before latching on in a hug of fangs and claws, trying to bite through the armor. “I! AM NOT! YOUR FOOD!” Wave roared as adrenaline flooded his system and rage pushed him beyond any limit of the body, ripping his hands free of their confines and grabbing onto the jaws of the tentacle before ripping it in half. The tentacles let go of him and lashed about in pain from the action while the one that ate Tatsumi began to balloon and explode, revealing a new Incursio.

“That... was disgusting.” Tatsumi said while gasping for air in his new armor, more reptilian in form with segmented plates with talons on his gauntlets and feet. “Is... did Incursio evolve again?” Wave tried to get to his partner while both were taking in the new appearance of the evolving Teigu, unaware of the monster growing and the giant tentacles rising behind them and helpless when they slammed into the pair. Heavy blows rained down on them from the massive limbs, bending the metal beneath them from the force of the attacks and the crushing grip of the tentacles as they wrapped around them and the ship's body and threatening to crush them under the weight of their power. The blunt force and pressure eventually forced their armor to dispel and render them defenseless.

“That's enough.” They heard someone say as the tentacles suddenly disappeared and while they were trying to figure out what happened, Wave received a harsh kick to the head that sent him rolling away and Tatsumi was getting stomped on, forcing Tatsumi to clench his eyes in pain but unable to move thanks to the beating earlier. “I was pretty badly humiliated by your shitty Soul Reaper friend.” He said while stepping on Tatsumi's neck with just enough pressure to choke him, letting the assassin see Syura smiling down on him sadistically. “Because of him, my dad was disappointed in me.” He stomped on Tatsumi's face again before aiming for his gut, forcing him to curl into a ball to try and get some meager protection. “I've never disappointed the old man before and all my pain and humiliation is the fault of that DAMN SOUL REAPER!” He hit harder and harder, unaware of Wave coming up from behind. “But the boss called dibs on that bastard and I'd rather take my frustrations out on some bitch, but killing you two might make up for-”

“Shut up!” Wave roared as he punched Syura in the back, forcing him to his knees and gasp in pain before Wave wrapped an arm around Syura's neck and throwing him to the ground. “Don't... you dare... underestimate us!” Wave was hurting, fairly certain that the tentacle monster cracked a few ribs and bones, but he refused to let that slow him down. “No one cares about some whiny little brat like you!”

“Thinking that you're great because you got something else to fight your battle for you?” Tatsumi added as Wave helped him up and Syura rose to his feet. Incursio's evolution had an effect on the youth as Tatsumi's right eye now glowed crimson with a cross shaped pupil instead of his usual green. “That's pretty much admitting you're too weak to fight your own battles. But that's the prime... FORMER prime minister in a nutshell isn't it? All talk and no action. A pathetic and spineless coward.”

“Congratulations, looks like you take after your shitty father after all. A filthy soul bound for hell.” The three glared at each other until Tatsumi and Wave charged at the same time in a pincer maneuver, soon slowing down when they noticed Syura's veins glowing blue. “Blut vene, the Quincy defensive technique?”

“Looks like.” The two shared a quick glance and nodded again, conveying a silent conversation. They reached Syura and began their attack on the two sides of him. Years of practice and training made itself evident in Syura as he began blocking and deflecting their attacks, though Tatsumi and Wave were managing to keep him on the defensive with their assault. After a minute Tatsumi winced and flinched, leaving an opening. Syura grinned savagely, pushing Wave back and taking the chance to land a punishing blow on Tatsumi but was quickly caught in a full nelson hold by Wave who already began applying plenty of pressure.

“You really are an arrogant little shit.” Wave smirked as Tatsumi stood up and pulled out Incursio's blade. “We were given a warning about Quincy powers and that you might not have a full understanding of the power of the Quincy.”

“As such, Blut Vene is a skin tight armor. But what about attacks where your armor doesn't help?” Incursio began sparking with electricity. “Hado #11, Tsuzuri Raiden.” Tatsumi quickly chanted, placing his blade against Syura's stomach and electrocuting him with Wave releasing him just in time to avoid getting shock. Syura was screaming in pain as electrical energy pulsed throughout his body.

“This was the one spell Ichigo forced on all of us to learn.” Wave added as Grand Chariot's blade also became charged. “But you deserve no pity from us. Hado #11, Tsuzuri Raiden.” He added his own attack to Tatsumi's, making Syura scream louder in pain. Before they could continue their assault with their fists, the ship shook furiously and knocked them all off-balance. “What the... did... did that thing get bigger!?” Wave asked in horror as the tentacle monster rose from the waters.

(With Esdeath)

To say she fought would imply there was a struggle. To say she fought would imply she was challenged. To say she fought would imply some measure of fear. There was no fight, not for her. When she got inside of the ship's cargo bay she was attacked by two more chimeric beasts and two bloody piles of unrecognizable flesh was all that remained the instant the attack began. Her nodachi length Zanpakuto would have proved an obstacle but all of her fighting with her Zanpakuto spirit had long since taught her how to control the length of her blade. Now she was searching for more prey, her next target.

“I know you're in here,” she called out, sensing the presence of her next target, “stop trying to hide or I'll sink this whole vessel.” The threat did its job as Enshin appeared before her, bearing a confident smirk that said he believed he could beat her. “So... anything interesting I should know before I torture you for information?”

“Make all the threats you want general, you can't hurt me.” He boasted, which Esdeath immediately put to the test with a powerful kick. The instant her foot connected she noticed something was off with the attack, it didn't feel like she was kicking him but some kind of armor or shell. That didn't change the fact that the force of the attack still sent him flying through the metal hull and onto the frozen waters of the beach. Esdeath went over everything Ichigo had told her since being his second in command of the new unit had him inform her of all she needed to know.

“Normal Quincy can control and manipulate ambient Reishi to their will, making it their weapons, armor, or a way to accelerate their movements to move at incredible speeds.” His voice echoed in her mind as she walked toward her foe. “However, there are some Quincy called Sternritters that have letters carved into their souls that grant them incredible abilities in association to the letter and epitaph. For example, someone with the letter H with the epitaph of Heat could command fires more devastating than your ice Teigu.”

“So... is that a Teigu that's protecting you or something else?” Esdeath demanded, allowing her Zanpakuto to grow to its nodachi length. Enshin smirked, not even injured from the powerful strike and gaining more confidence from being immune to the power of the 'Empire's Strongest', pulling out a curved sword and holding it to the full moon.

“This is my Teigu, Moonlight Sword Dance: Shamshir.” Enshin answered. “The power of this sword is dependent on the lunar cycle but yes, there is something else that's going to be the reason you die to me.” He gave a come hither gesture and Esdeath summoned some ice shards, shooting them at the man. The ice either shattered a foot from him or was deflected entirely. “My new power, the Defense. I can stop any attack with an impenetrable shield, meaning-” He didn't have the chance to continue as Esdeath immediately began a second assault, no Teigu, just her own physical power and all bouncing off a bubble shield harmlessly.

“You're failing,” Esdeath heard her Zanpakuto spirit taunt, “again. Why don't... you rely on your Teigu to fight, ...again. After all..., when you start losing... in a fight that truly matters... you always rely on that Teigu. On borrowed power.”

'Shut up.' She told the tired voice of the giant demon that was her spirit. 'I'm aware of what my reliance on that Teigu, what my own complacency as the strongest did to me. Kept me from improving and I've been fighting tooth and nail to undo that mistake. Not for you or anyone else except for me! I AM strong, I AM powerful, I am not weak! So either finally give me my power or shut up and let me kill him on my own!' She mentally roared as Enshin swung his Shamshir and sending out blades of wind, blades that she easily dodged. Every time she felt herself about to use the power of the Demon's Extract, she clenched her fist hard enough to pierce her skin and focused her frustrations on trying to find a weak spot. 'I will win and I will do so of my own power. I WILL match Ichigo in power. Because I DOMINATE!' She swung her blade with enough force that it generated a wind blade that cut through Enshin's own and surprising the pirate.

“...Finally. The old fire... returns.” Esdeath's blade began to glow as an icy chill, colder than anything she ever felt, raced down her spine. “Now... win.” Her frown twisted to a predatory grin as words suddenly fell from her lips.

“Conquer the frozen hells, Tsundora Akuma!” She roared out, swinging her blade down and firing a ball of ice that slammed into Enshin shield but the ice also spread out on his shield. He released his barrier and jumped away from the resulting collapse. In Esdeath's hand was her familiar massive rapier but with a skull for the guard and the blade an icy blue, knowledge on the basic power of her blade filling her mind but all she could do was swing her sword and attack with icy energy. The cold grip of death feeling was the chill of her own Reishi, it flooded her body, her senses, she felt intoxicated. Now to put it to the test.

“I told you,” Enshin growled despite feeling the growing pressure and a sense of unease, “nothing you throw can even hurt me!” Esdeath actually stopped her assault, giving the pirate the opening to counterattack, while trying to think of a way around his defense. “Now DIE!” He unleashed another massive barrage of wind blades, his body coated in sweat and feeling the strain of using all that power he was using, while Esdeath quickly dodged the attack. She closed the distance and swung her blade at Enshin, smashing against the barrier and once again coating it in ice. As Enshin began to move again, Esdeath reached the opening that Enshin was escaping through and searched for a disturbance in the air, smiling as a new idea sparked in her mind.

“This fight is over!” She declared, jumping high into the air with her blade glowing. “Kottaiki!” She shouted, shooting a beam of energy that slammed against Enshin's barrier. The force of the attack shattered the ice beneath him and sent him under the water with the remaining energy freezing the water again. She landed gracefully and used what little skill in Reishi sense to find him trapped in an air pocket in the ice. Suddenly the ice began to crack and Esdeath quickly restored the damage, keeping the pirate trapped and smiling as her opponent slowly began to suffocate from the lack of clean air. The chill of her power, the rush of battle, the sadistic pleasure of tormenting her enemy with a slow and painful fate, now she felt... warm. Warm with a burning desire in her core that only one person could satisfy. That's when she noticed a massive tentacle monster rise from the water and attack the ship... and was soon vaporized in a blast of energy.

(Back on the ship)

“Did... did that thing get bigger!?” Wave asked as the monster they fought earlier returned, bigger than ever and terrifying Wave and Tatsumi. They couldn't even fight this thing when it was half its current size, now it was bigger and with more tentacles and the two had no idea how they were going to fight it. Syura took the chance to disappear with Shambala, teleporting away while Wave and Tatsumi were distracted by the monster. Then it suddenly froze and slowly split into two halves that were then engulfed in a red and black blast of energy. As the pair tried to process what they just saw, Ichigo appeared before them with one of his Zanpakuto in hand.

“So... what did I miss?”


	20. Twisted Sins

(Soukai Nation: Elder's House)

All the survivors of the sudden attack were now at work gathering their dead and trying to repair the damage to their home. The Quincy soldats were piled together and burned, the chimera bodies were gathered together and were dissected by Esdeath who wanted to find any possible weakness in them and how much was still human, then move on to torturing Enshin who had his hands crushed and Teigu confiscated. The five teens weren't idle either as they took over the evacuation process, Hinowa kept the people calm and organized while Hisame organized a defensive ambush as some Quincy came to capture the villagers. Now the injured of Spirit were now getting patched up while Sotetsu met with the group again.

“So, if I may clarify, Quincy are humans who learned to harness 'soul energy' and use it to fight, except they misuse that power and are using it to take over the world.” The king summarized, trying to process everything that happened recently while Akame translated for those that still didn't know the language. “The rest of the world moves on without us while we're stuck trying to decide who should unify the continent.” He sighed, realizing just how vast the world and how behind his home was. “Very well, you can inform your king that I will open diplomatic ties with the Grand Empire and as a gesture of good faith, I'll include some of the finest Meihou blacksmiths in my kingdom. In exchange I would like military aid in helping Soukai bring unity to Wakoku as well. In the form of soldiers or in supplies.”

“I'd also like to take Hinowa and her friends with us.” Esdeath chimed in, surprising the teens. “They did rather well in their first attack and they have real potential, Hisame could very well become your main military commander and... Hinowa might just prove herself to be a worthy successor.” She said while idly rubbing the crest on her chest. “I intend to finish their training and I can promise results.” Sotetsu thought for a moment before looking to the kids, seeing both shock and excitement in their eyes, before allowing them to give their consent.

“Hate to be the one to say this,” Wave started while looking at the remains of their patrol boat and the cargo freighter, stopping any celebrations, “but we're not going anywhere without a proper ship. While any naval officer worth their salt can handle maintenance and repairs, I don't know what I can do when both vessels are pretty much scrap. Though... that's being generous.” Their vessel was torn to shreds by the Quincy arrows and the chimeras on the freighter tore that one apart from the inside out. “That, and Syura is still at large so we need to look for him.”

“Well I welcome the diplomats, Mine and Chelsea, to join me as we discuss matters of state while you look for your criminal.” The king stated, wanting any threat to his people taken down quickly. “I'll also request my finest ship builders to craft a new vessel for you. Granted... it won't be metal. I'm still surprised you had a ship of metal.”

“While you guys try to figure this out, I'll be heading back to the Empire.” Ichigo stated, surprising... only the Soukai side as the Empire natives grew accustomed to Ichigo being able to do whatever by now. “I'm willing to bet Gilgamesh has already made his next move so I need to hurry.”

“Wait!” Mine called out, tearing something out of a notepad that she was writing in. “Here, an abridged report to his majesty. Try to get us a cruise ship next time.” Ichigo felt his eye twitch but left the building and removed his Gigai ring, disappearing from sight and beginning the long flight to the Empire.

(Empire's Capital)

'I wonder what sustains that storm? Many Danger Beasts? A single beast? A Hollow? Or just a natural phenomenon like that spot on Jupiter?' Ichigo wondered as he flew. It took him hours and another kido spell to quell the storm but he eventually made his way back to land and then to the capital. 'Back aga-!?' He froze in mid air and gagged, losing control of his Reishi footholds and dropping into free fall. 'The hell?! This scent!' He thought as a glowing outline of a Kushanada appeared around him and faded just as quickly. 'What could possibly!?' He managed to get control back and stop his descent just a dozen feet from the ground, slowly lowering himself and coughing the whole time.

“This scent... a truly vile sin.” The Kushanada spoke in his mind. “As your connection to Hell grows, your ability to sense someone's sin grows as well. Find the sinner. Burn them. KILL THEM.” It was hard to argue, the stench was as bad as when Ichigo first arrived and the ambient Reishi itself was borderline toxic. If that was how it worked then he could only guess that Syura only managed to hide from them because of Shambala and getting enough distance to be out of his range. This sinner would not escape him, his scent was too wretched to be allowed mercy. While Ichigo was reflecting on this, Mez appeared at his side. Becoming a Shinigami, she now wore a Shihakusho but still chose to flaunt her chest and expose her bikini top.

“Master,” she greeted her teacher and new boss, “the Emperor requests your aid. Several people and entire families have started disappearing and he suspects the Quincy may be involved. The team has been searching almost non-stop for the past month to find the culprits.” Ichigo took a look around to see guards everywhere and the people looking scared. Unfortunately, the stench of sin was like a thick fog over the city. Mez started to return to the castle while Ichigo began to follow, pausing to look around again after he thought he heard something.

(Throne Room)

“The situation only continues to deteriorate my lord.” Run reported to the leaders of the empire as he flew into the throne room with the rest of the Empire's new special forces coming into the throne room, Run being the only one of the team not in soul form. Ichigo's soul projector was in the room so they could all converse. Susanoo was standing at the emperor's side, serving as butler and bodyguard to the monarch while Najenda and Budo took command of Spirit in Ichigo's absence. “We see dozens of people all over the capital act strangely but never one that gives us any concrete leads, almost as if they're watching us and selecting the ones we aren't watching.”

“These Quincy have gotten rather arrogant, considering they're only acting while Ichigo isn't around and they continue to hide.” Budo growled, furious at his helplessness in the current matter.

“Can we know for a fact that it's because they know Ichigo is in the east?” Najenda questioned, trying to think of any possible angle. “Very likely that it is that, but how did they know? Maybe this was always a plan while we get preoccupied with the matters to the East. Did we play into their hands?” That was when Ichigo finally appeared, still grimacing from the disgusting stench of sin.

“Ichigo! You've returned!” Makoto called out, running to the hybrid and embracing the man he's come to look up to as his savior and older brother figure.

“Do you mind reporting what happened with you Ichigo?” Budo asked, hoping for some bit of good news.

“The continent is called Wakoku, it is divided into twenty-two nations with each one battling for sole supremacy of the continent.” The Soul Reaper said as he pulled out the letter Mine wrote. “After we made landfall I had to leave to deal with all the souls of Wakoku... I only left when I felt the disturbance of a Quincy attack and they've seemed to be making chimeric abominations that Stylish would give his soul to work with.” Chouri took the letter and started to read it over with Makoto, then Ichigo turned to the military forces. “So... what did I miss here?”

“At minimum that we've counted, over a hundred people have disappeared and were reported missing.” Run announced surprising the hybrid before he grimaced again from something. “There has been almost nothing linking these people together, but the highest numbers are from children and handsome young men.” Run himself felt his teeth clench as a scowl formed on his face. “I have a theory of who our culprit might be, but I have been unable to find him to clarify.”

“You mean that clown that was with Syura?” Najenda asked, remembering that Run's students were raped and murdered by the serial killer clown. “We've got nothing but speculation to guide us right now and no one matching his or any of Syura's group has been sighted. Ichigo, can't you sense what's going on?” She asked the hybrid who twitched again from something.

“Sorry, but I can't seem to focus.” Ichigo told them, pawing at his ear. “I keep getting this weird feeling like I'm hearing something and I can't get this STENCH OF SIN OUT OF MY FACE!” He roared, making his jacket tear from a sudden burst of Reishi and accidentally destroying Najenda's metal arm from the sheer power before he got himself under control. “AAHH! Can no one hear that buzzing!?”

“No, they can't.” Ichigo froze as Kyoka Suigetsu manifested in the room. “It's a sound based illusion, designed to distract and entrance any that might hear it. You're protected by me, but they're distracted from it. I didn't say anything until I was absolutely sure.” Ichigo smiled at his second Zanpakuto spirit while everyone else looked at her in shock and awe.

“Care to lead the way?” The hybrid asked as she smiled and returned to his inner world. “Everyone, look closely at this blade.” He unsheathed Kyoka Suigetsu and activated her power. “Shatter, Kyoka Suigetsu!”

(Sewer System)

With the knowledge of it being auditory hypnosis, Kyoka Suigetsu offered both guidance and protection to Ichigo and the remaining members of Spirit though her abilities were being stretched to their limit thanks to needing to cover the whole of the capital. Ichigo took a small team of five, consisting of Run, Izou, Suzuka, and Leone, into the capital's sewer system hear he heard the song originating while the rest of the team tried to keep the damage to a minimum topside. The sewers were definitely missing the clean of a proper sanitation effort as most of the efforts were on the surface and the only real concern was that the sewers weren't clogged up too badly, it smelled horrible but Ichigo took the brunt of it to use his hypnosis to remove the sense of smell. There was a proposal to have criminals do the cleaning but the crime rate dropped significantly with Honest's defection and the revolution ending. Luckily they were headed toward one of the cleaner parts of the sewers, used for rain water, and the distant hums in the air gained more clarity.

“... to dance and float with us~.” Ichigo heard a woman sing, thus prompting them to rush while trying to remain as silent as possible. The stench of sin got stronger and stronger as they eventually came upon an opening and found the horrors within. He scanned everything with a cold and clinical analysis, working hard to suppress his base desire to kill the two Quincy inside in favor of gathering as much information as he could. First was a tank full of spirit energy and what looked to be a crudely fashioned Reishi extractor that was hooked up to at least a dozen women and men. To the side was a pile of dried up husks of bodies of various people. The exception being children, who all had the same happy expression and glossy lifeless eyes in the pile of the dead. The ones that weren't hooked up to that machine were comatose women, bare men in a trance-like state fawning over a woman matching Cosmina's description, and naked laughing children around a smiling clown that wore a poofy white shirt with white and red face paint on slim body and a noticeable lack of any kind of legging.

“My turn! My turn!” A little boy cheered. “Make me an angel next!” The clown laughed happily, turning Ichigo and Run's blood to ice in horror and disgust as he reached for the child. The very next moment the clown would find himself missing much of the arm that was reaching for the child with a fist burying itself in his head before sending him flying into the wall.

“No speeches, no banter, someone evacuate the survivors and just KILL THESE BASTARDS!” Ichigo roared as his golden Hell armor materialized on his body. Run's anger and hate at seeing what the clown was doing with the children burned and he wanted to aid Ichigo immediately since he wanted him dead more than anyone but his better nature won out and he tried to get the children out of there, all of them saying that they wanted to become angels. Over with Cosmina, Izou rushed at the singer with his blade poised to impale the girl but her veins glowed a bright blue and his Kotetsu bent and snapped while she was shot back out of her man pile.

“Blut,” She said while adjusting her dress, “a neat skill of the Quincy that allows one to gain a powerful defense or greatly increases strength. Made sex so much better.” She pulled out a microphone, the Teigu Heavy Pressure, and began singing into it only to be kicked from behind by Leone and Suzuka. The pair and Mez trained relentlessly ever since becoming Soul Reapers, focusing on the speed and martial arts aspect over swordplay and becoming somewhat proficient in Shunpo. Cosmina only became proficient in Blut and her Schrift, the Siren, focusing instead on indulging in all of the men under Gilgamesh's command, her prize for swearing her loyalty to him. Now she regretted that decision as she was getting pummeled by Suzuka and Leone's coordinated assault. At the same time, Izou was in mourning.

'K-Kotetsu...' he thought brokenly as he picked up the shattered fragments of his beloved sword shortly after it broke, 'I... I failed you, my precious Kotetsu.' The pain in his chest only became worse with each shard he gathered and placed onto his outer kimono jacket. 'I'll fix you... Ichigo can fix you.' His mind was nearly fractured by the loss until a roar of anger snapped him out of it. The clown's face split open into four parts, each one filled with needle-like teeth, while the grew in size and mutated. The lower body exploded into a spider-esque body with crab legs while his amputated arm exploded into tentacles with spear tips while the other arm became a long, spindly, thing with his fingers turning into snakes with Champ's head.

“How dare you!” The monster roared in anger, reaching for the children. “They want to become little angels! How could you stop me!?” The eyes on his serpent fingers were all stabbed with Run's feathers while he tried to keep the kids from running to the clown monster with his Teigu wings. Just then the monster was wrapped in chains and ripped to the ground, his limbs all slipping off like they were cut and Ichigo began glowing with the aura of a Kushanada.

“Champie!” Cosmina cried out after a brutal punch sent her tumbling. “Last song!” She shouted, Ichigo noticing the ears on Champ's freaky head disappearing as she sang. Ichigo kept up his protection, muting out any sense of sound for his allies by making them deaf via hypnosis as they all watched in horror while every last hostage began bleeding from everywhere in their head, dying as their brains turned to mush.

“Awww~ and I still had so many angels to love.” Champ whined as he transformed into a dragon, mimicking the Tyrant that was used to make Incursio, with six orbs floating around him. “Oh well. I've plenty of bodies to feast on no-” A huge gaping hole appeared in Champ's dragon chest as a Kushanada manifested above Ichigo, who had thrust his sword at the transforming Quincy.

“Champ... you're sins are many,” the hybrid spoke in a dual voice of his own and the growl of Hell's jailers, “I'm here to REAP VENGENACE ON YOUR SOUL!!” The head of the Kushanada sprayed fire on the monster who tried to shield himself with the spinning orbs but the fire wasn't stopped and bathed the clown in its heat. Champ screamed in unbridled agony and transformed into thousands of different things, hoping that one would be immune from the heat of the fire. Even turning into some kind of fire type Danger Beast did nothing to alleviate his suffering as he turned back to the fat clown that was his original form.

“WhaHHH! What did you do to me!?” He cried out as Ichigo and Run stepped up to him and the gates of Hell rose up behind Champ.

“You now burn in the flames of Hell you piece of shit.” Ichigo answered, glaring at the sinner before him with disgust and hate. “These flames burn your very soul until you lose every last ounce of will as you suffer an endless eternity for the crimes you have committed.” Just then, through the fires and screams, Ichigo and Run saw a white light shine through and change the fires blue with a presence that demanded obedience appearing.

“Hello, my lost son.” The hybrid never heard this voice before but immediately recognized it from deep within himself. The Quincy King.

“Yhwach. Figures that you'd allow scum like him to-”

“Stop. I feel just as disgusted as you that my power is even part of this wretched soul. I do have standards, and much of this 'Wild Hunt' make me want to retch. So please, do me the favor of burning them from existence. I can't imagine how desperate you made my poor son, Gilgamesh, to allow that filth into his ranks.”

“Save it. You don't care about anyone but yourself. When I'm done in this world, I'm coming to kill you next.” The hybrid growled, swiping his hand and making the chains of Hell drag Champ's still burning and screaming soul to where it belongs.

“Hey... Ichigo?” Leone called, getting his and Run's attention to reveal a bound and gagged Cosmina that was beaten unconscious. “What do we do with this one?” Ichigo though for a moment.

“Run, lead them back to the castle and get us a clean up crew. I want everything here either burnt to ash or taken to my lab.” The former teacher nodded, feeling somewhat hollow after finally seeing justice done. “Izou!” The hybrid called to the swordsman. “You stay with me. I saw what happened.” Ichigo held out his hand and summoned an Asuachi. “Shall we try an experiment?”

(Timeskip: Still in the capital)

Days passed as the damage was assessed, the Lord of the Path of Peace returned to the capital to perform the funeral ceremony and it was announced that the Quincy, still being called The Cult, were behind it and that they murdered all of their victims. The emperor sent out a message to the remaining leaders of the other kingdoms to meet and to discuss the threat of the Quincy and was still waiting for news on that front. Makoto also commissioned another vessel to sail eastward with fifty armed soldiers and Danger Beast parts for their Meihou craftsmen. Ichigo, meanwhile, was hard at work on his own matters.

The first thing he tackled was for Cosmina's interrogation, overhearing her brag about her sex life gave him an idea of an ironic torment. With the Stylish AI, Ichigo concocted a drug that would make Cosmina hypersensitive but at the cost of never climaxing no matter what anyone did to her. She was then thrown to the prisoners and jailors of the palace to enjoy while her vocal chords were paralyzed after a bit of surgery after learning about her power of song. Every day since she was imprisoned a jailor came by for more of the drug and reported her desperation for climax.

Next was Najenda's arm and the schematics of a new Pumpkin gun from the SRDI. The decision to make it a prosthetic was easy for the the scientists of the institute since connecting directly to the body meant that it was connected to the soul far more easily. Najenda's body accepted the mechanical limb almost instantly, as if welcoming an old friend, though she'd need more practice to keep her arm from transforming suddenly into the different guns. Her damaged eye was also replaced with one that operated like a scope for better aiming.

The final experiment for him was analyzing the Kotetsu to what could be done about the shattered blade and sure enough it had part of his soul in it. The man loved, cared for, and was obsessed with his blade to the point that it actually held a piece of his soul... Ichigo wasn't sure how to take that information. However, he placed the fragments of Kotetsu, Izou gathered literally every last piece, and an Asuachi into a synthesis tank and watched as the fragments bonded to the soul steel and giving it a blood red blade. Izou had his Kotetsu back as his Zanpakuto and he embraced the calling of the Shinigami.

“What a week.” Ichigo groaned as he slumped onto his desk, Stylish finishing out a report for Kisuke and Yamamoto. “Can I finally get some rest?”

“Unfortunately not sir, and could you be a bit more stylish in your actions? Like so?” The AI asked as he gracefully fell into a holographic chair to demonstrate, earning an annoyed glare from the hybrid. “You still can't relax yet. As per your own orders, you told me to help you figure out a more efficient way of getting through the storm region, or stopping it completely, once your other matters were attended to.” Ichigo released a tired sigh of resignation.

“Fine. Run all possible scenarios on clearing or bypassing the storm with Kido and available Teigu in the Empire's current possession.” He ordered as Stylish got about his task. 'I wonder if Esdeath and the others found Syura yet.' He thought while trying to get as much rest as he could from the current events.

(Wakoku)

In the time that Ichigo left to return to the Capital, Esdeath and her team were hard at work in the Eastern continent. Esdeath was working to get any information out of Enshin, cutting off his legs and an arm and leaving him trapped in a hollow ball of ice under the water with a hole for air and occasional food. He very quickly cracked from oxygen deprivation, biting coldness, and eating the remains of his former arm and legs for sustenance and confessed that the Quincy main base was inside a cave. That was all he could tell as Gilgamesh never allowed him or any of his number to explore the outside of the base and used his 'Gate' to teleport them as needed. Enshin was then left to freeze to death before his soul was dragged to Hell. Without a prisoner to question, Esdeath took the five teens and began searching Soukai for Syura while continuing their training.

Without many obligations other than being bodyguards to the diplomats, Tatsumi and Wave wanted to set after Syura first but still had the language barrier issue since neither of them were fluent in the native tongue. Mine and Chelsea would join them in the hunt and the four would split into two teams. They then wasted half a day as Mine and Chelsea argued over who would go with Tatsumi. Akame went ahead before anyone else, choosing not to waste any time in hunting the bastard son of Honest. Unfortunately, the bastard in question was already gaining quite a bit of distance between himself and his pursuers.

'Damn it, damn it, DAMN IT!' Syura cursed as he limped along, still reeling from the shocks he suffered from Tatsumi and Wave but staying as silent as possible. 'Everything is supposed to go MY WAY! The Quincy gave me power, I have one of the best Teigu, I'm supposed to have a privileged life! So what the hell is happening!?' He had no direction, he just ran as he tried in a vain attempt to think of anyway out of suffering any more humiliation and punishment at Gilgamesh's hand. Unknown to him, or anyone else, he had long since fled the Soukai nation and bypassed a major fort to enter the Tenrou nation taxing himself and Shambala heavily in the process. He eventually came upon an estate near a lake area before his body finally gave out, leaving him hurt, tired, and starving in an unknown land just inches away from what looked to be clean water.

Syura faded in and out of conciseness but he was soon found by guards of that estate who took him into one of the buildings while sending word to their master. He was placed in a bed and was being examined by a few of the healers as the lord of the estate came to see her uninvited guest. She was a tall woman with flawless skin and long silky maroon colored hair and maroon eyes, wearing nothing but an open robe to display her large breasts and toned but soft figure. She found Syura, half naked from the examination and licked her lips. She was Moegi of the Ten Stars of the Tenrou Nation and the leader of all the Southern military and when she wasn't fighting in the battlefield, she was indulging in the pleasures of the flesh with her bodyguards/lovers.

“Continue to tend to him but strip him bare.” She ordered her servants who followed her command, revealing his entire body to her. 'Oh yes, he'll be a fine addition.' She thought before leaving the man to the tender care of her staff, returning to her own harem of men with a stronger itch in need of scratching.


	21. Ice Devil Reigns

(With Ichigo)

“Okay, let's do this.” The hybrid muttered as he stood in a deserted beach, facing the ocean. After ten minutes of Stylish running through every Kido Ichigo had at his disposal and the ones he neglected in training, Ichigo had basically two options: either repeat what he and Esdeath did the first time but all on his own, or master one of the forbidden Kido arts that allowed teleportation. Ichigo decided to try the easy option first as he unsheathed Zangetsu and a ring of mist formed around the tip.

“Hyoga Seiran.” He chanted before thrusting the blade forward, shooting the icy cold vapors from the blade over the ocean waters. After a few seconds passed he stopped and looked at the large chunk of ice that now floated in front of him. “Okay, again.” He flashed high above the water and readied a second blast. “Hyoga Seiran!” He put more into this blast and ended it after another few seconds, now seeing a much wider ice floe than the previous one and dropping onto it to check its stability. “If this is as thick as I can make it, I'm better off teleporting us.” The hybrid concluded after feeling the ice drift away from land. “Better start practicing then.” Ichigo clapped his hands and created a lime green rod of energy that made the entire ice floe glow with the Kido. “Kukanten'i.” He whispered before disappearing... and reappearing twenty feet to the right and dropping to his knees.

“Okay, that was rough!” He grunted out, clenching his chest in pain and sweating. He took deep breaths for a minute before settling into a meditative position. “Take your time, focus, analyze.” He repeated what Tessai usually told him in his younger training days. “Esdeath and the others can handle themselves.”

(Wakoku)

Time passed slowly for the general, hunting for Syura was proving fruitless as the teens she took under her wing and herself searched the entirety of the Soukai nation and a ways into the surrounding allied countries. The last remaining place to search was into the Tenrou nation which was a highly aggressive empire that had been trying to conquer Soukai for years, Hinowa mentioned to Esdeath that it was in a battle with the Tenrou nation that her mother died in and the group soon came across a sign that announced that the Tenrou nation was arming for another invasion.

'Well, I might as well see the military power of Tenrou.' Esdeath thought as she read it while the teens were talking about the same subject before catching their attention with a loud whistle. “Listen. All of you have been improving greatly, fighting in synch together and on your own against bandits and Freaks, but none of you have truly seen the battle of war. This will be a perfect opportunity to see what war is like so we'll head to this Shiranui Fortress, but you will not be fighting. I want you to watch and ONLY watch. When the fighting is done, I'll be testing you on what you've seen. Understood?”

“Yes General!” Most of them responded, making her smile and wonder if this is what motherhood is like. She made it a point to treat those under her comrade like family so long as they proved their worth, but that was more like an elder sibling to the younger ones. She never had the chance or time to truly train and nurture someone's potential, now she molded these five into more effective soldiers.

Yumehachi was still a pervert but learned to focus more on improving his ability and not indulge in his desire for women. He still peeped but was only punished when caught by anyone but Esdeath, due to being a sniper and using the activity to train his hiding ability. Tobari became less brash and more level headed, thinking before diving into battle. Suzumaru improved his speed, reflexes, and spear technique and didn't focus on much else. Hisame and Hinowa were the ones she focused on the most, seeing the greatest potential in the both of them as future leaders, Hisame being the calm and collected thinker while Hinowa would inspire those under her command. If Hinowa was a sadist, Esdeath would've seen herself in the young teen.

“C'mon General,” Tobari whined, “you've been training us for weeks and we've been kicking ass! Let us fight as well and prove ourselves right away!”

“Only children seek to prove themselves Tobari, not soldiers. Soldiers fight to win for their country.” Esdeath chided, making Tobari pout, as they began heading for the fortress. The journey took a week by foot but they eventually made their way to the imposing and impenetrable base that separated the Soukai and Tenrou nations. Shiranui Fortress nestled in-between two steep mountains with two massive walls constructed with the idea of surviving and repelling sieges and at the center of the base of these walls are massive double doors to allow easy passage into the base. Esdeath and her students were less than a stone's throw away when the doors facing Soukai opened to reveal Syura, shocking the terrorist and the imperial general.

“SHIT! DEMON!” Syura shouted as he ran back into the fortress and revealing the army within, bearing the Tenrou banner. Unknown to Esdeath, Syura was taken into the care of one of the leading officials of the Tenrou nation, Moegi of the Ten Stars and leader of the entire southern army forces. During his time being her whore and bodyguard, he was taught enough of the language for simple communication. From there he overheard the latest plot to try and break the impregnable fortress and managed to convince not only Moegi but another member of the Ten Stars of his plan. He'd use his powerful weapon to eliminate all the occupants of Shiranui Fortress, when in reality he was teleporting the people to the Quincy base in the hopes of quelling Gilgamesh's wrath. But before returning to the base he needed Shambala to recharge and he figured he could entertain himself with a harem of women slaves as a 'thank you' for delivering them their victory. He never expected to find Esdeath. It was as if God himself hated the man.

“You coward!” Esdeath shouted as Syura fled, quickly analyzing the change in the situation. Hordes of soldiers looked confused by Syura's sudden fear but dismissed it upon looking at Esdeath and the children. Esdeath guessed that they might have numbered in the tens of thousands and she smiled as they continued to charge at her.

“General, what should we do?” Hinowa asked as she and the other kids brought out their weapons, more than a little concerned at facing an army with only six people. Suddenly she and the others were shot sky high as Esdeath quickly grew a massive wall of ice that completely closed the way, with the general alone and facing the army herself.

“I already told you. You watch.” She called out while summoning her Zanpakuto as the Tenrou army were stunned by the sudden wall of ice. “You watch and you witness. Witness the roars of those aiming to kill, the cries of the dying, the clash of steel, the scent of blood, and the fury of war. Learn all this here and now!” Esdeath tensed up while the Tenrou army shouted about it being one woman and continued the attack. “Now, to entertain myself.” She shot forward and made her first strike, cleaving through the first and second row of soldiers in front of her with ease. “Conquer the frozen Hells, Tsundora Akuma!” She unleashed her Shikai and shot forward like a spear, blowing away people with the force of her movement and cutting through anyone that was unfortunate enough to touch her freezing blade, turning their blood to ice.

“Kottaiki!” She fired a blast of cold energy, freezing every last person that was hit by it, at the doorway and sealed it shut. “Now,” she said while surrounded by scared enemy soldiers and changing stances, “who's next?”

(With the teens)

The group watched in shock and awe at the power and grace that Esdeath displayed, easily cutting down every one that she trapped with her till she was walking in a river of blood and bodies. To Tobari and Yumehachi, it was an inspiration to get stronger. To Hisame and Suzumaru, it was a lesson on fighting against crowds. Only Hinowa felt like she was watching a demon at work, tearing through those far weaker than herself and even enjoy it. The girl had two main dreams; one was to make her mother's name of Hinowa known throughout Wakoku and the other was bring an end to the seemingly endless war that has plagued the country for the last hundred years.

“Man, the general is so strong!” One of her friends, Tobari, said while looking at Esdeath in admiration of her power. “And that ice power is so fearsome!”

“What was it called again?” Suzumaru asked, Esdeath finishing off all the remaining soldiers trapped with her before heading toward the frozen gate and smashing it open to continue her bloody works. “A Teigu... Tsundora Akuma? I can't remember.”

'Teigu. Such devastating weapons.' Hinowa thought to herself as the thousands of soldiers fighting Esdeath slowly started to flee from the wrath of the woman they were calling a demon. 'If Sokai had these weapons, the war could end for good... but what's the price General? What would I have to give in order to get power like that? Would it even be worth it?” Hinowa silently asked Esdeath continued to kill even as Tenrou soldiers began to flee. Only after they were all gone or dead did Esdeath lower the ice they were all standing on. The battle began with 50,000 Tenrou soldiers and in the course of thirty minutes almost half of all those soldiers had died at the blade and power of Esdeath.

“Now, do you all understand what I was trying to teach you?” She asked her students while internally seething at Syura's escape. “In battle, the strong will devour the weak. Without this fortress, would Sokai be strong enough to survive?” The teens thought for a moment but conceded that Sokai's ground forces are lacking compared to the Tenrou soldiers Esdeath cut down with ease. “However, the ultimate push to become strong, as I've learned, doesn't come from the desire to crush those weaker than you. It comes from the desire to protect what is precious to you.” Esdeath looked to the sky, thinking of the one person that defeated her. “I learned that the hard way.”

“So we can become strong like you general,” Hisame asked looking dead serious, “if we focus on protecting something precious?”

“Aim to become stronger than me.” She said with a smile before pointing toward the capital. “Now go inform your king of what happened here. I'll stay here and... stand guard.” She ordered as the five rushed to report that Shiranui Fortress was practically defenseless with only Esdeath remaining, unaware of a rather twisted smirk she bore as they left.

(Exposition Dump)

Commander Moegi was forced to retreat, her army being crushed by a single monster of the battlefield that her latest lover called a demon. If she didn't see it for herself, she'd have thought Syura was exaggerating the matter but what little he managed to convey told her that Sokai was now virtually untouchable. She believed she'd be seeing that demon of ice in her nightmares for years to come and now she had to inform her king of her failure. To add insult to injury, Syura soon escaped for her army's custody and disappeared, taking with him the special tool that nearly delivered them the Sokai nation, the Teigu Shambala.

The king of Tenrou was less than pleased to hear that the invasion was yet another failure, but was willing to forgive a member of his Ten Stars after forcing her into a chastity belt for the next few months. He sent scouts to validate Moegi's claims and out of ten scouts only one returned, missing an eye, a few teeth, some fingers, and bore further evidence of torture as he recounted with terror the valley being filled with impaled corpses and how his team was captured and tortured by a woman with the beauty of a goddess and the cruelty of a demon. Word quickly spread of the 'Ice Demon of Sokai' and support for a continued war with Sokai slowly began to fade. Fear of the demon was almost as effective as the fortress itself in protecting the Sokai nation when scouts and soldiers saw the valley filled with impaled bodies from the failed assault. Those foolish enough to go too far into the now named 'Valley of Corpses' found themselves added to the number of bodies lining the valley.

Shiranui fortress was soon reinforced with the appropiate number of soldiers and though they were just as put off by Esdeath's work, no one had the bravery to say anything about it. Esdeath herself remained at the fortress and training the teens until word of the Empire's return to Wakoku while Akame, Wave, and Chelsea tried to infiltrate Tenrou to find Syura. Tatsumi and Mine joined Esdeath at Shiranui to serve as additional forces to keep the fortress and to receive officer training from Esdeath, the general giving both the field promotion to captain and command of any forces the Empire sends to Sokai. Akame and her team returned a week later with the unfortunate news that Syura evaded capture yet again and made an entire city population disappear with him. The only good news was the sighting of an Imperial vessel and Ichigo's Reiatsu.

(With Ichigo)

“Docking now sir!” A naval official announced as the vessel soon reached the port near Nagisa castle where Esdeath and rest of those from the Empire, the teens training under Esdeath, and King Sotetsu with his army commanders waited the arrival of the Soul Reaper and his group. Ichigo, trusting the people to do their jobs on the ship, jumped off to meet up with Esdeath and her team.

“Status report.” He immediately ordered as Esdeath stepped forward.

“We have searched the entirety of Sokai and found no trace of Syura until the neighboring Tenrou nation attempted to invade. Heading to the invasion site myself, I came upon Syura with the invading army and had to let him go in exchange for holding off the enemy army. Further investigation led to the conclusion that he sided with Tenrou for some reason and used Shambala to clear out the Sokai soldiers at Shiranui Fortress. After single-handedly repelling the invasion, half of us stayed at the fort while the other half went into Tenrou to search for Syura, only for him to escape with Shambala yet again.”

“Damn it. I can't remember the last time someone gave me this much trouble.” The hybrid growled before facing Sotetsu while the Imperial soldiers began unloading the munitions and other supplies. “Emperor Makoto of the Grand Empire is lending a company of 200 soldiers to be placed under the command of Tatsumi and Mine and ONLY used in the course of defense for Sokai.” The teen told the king while Chelsea translated, the man nodding in agreement.

“Would attacking pirate and bandit bases count as defense in the Empire's eyes?”

“I think it does.”

“Good, I'll discuss with my commanders where best to put them after seeing them in action. As for my trade with the Empire,” five men came forward as he said that with another twenty men moving cargo that resembled body parts of Danger Beasts or Freaks as they were called in Wakoku, “I bring five of my finest blacksmiths that specialize in Meihou crafting and much material that they are familiar with. They will teach and be taught the techniques of the trade between our peoples so that we may both benefit from what they learn.”

“They have been studying the language of the Empire in preparation for this trip courtesy of me.” Chelsea added as she finished translating.

“Good work. We'll be leaving in three days as we resupply.” Ichigo finished, getting a heavy smack on the back from a laughing Sotetsu.

“Then let us celebrate! Come, let's have a fishing challenge and a hearty feast!” And for three days the king, Ichigo, Esdeath, Wave, Tatsumi, and Hinowa all competed with who could catch the best haul. Sotetsu because he just loved the sea, Ichigo because it felt rude not to, Esdeath because she enjoyed a good hunt, Wave and Tatsumi because they won't see their rival for however long, and Hinowa because fishing was her specialty. Ichigo and Esdeath were the main winners due to catching large sea Danger Beasts though cooking was mainly the task of Hinowa, Wave, Tatsumi, and Akame. Sotetsu brought his best liquor for everyone of age, but Esdeath and Akame conspired together to get Ichigo drunk which led to a long night for all three of them.

Finally the day of departure came and everyone bid their good-byes as the teens boarded the ship destined for foreign lands and allies had to separate once again. Two days of sailing and they reached the Storm Region of the sea, terrifying the teens with its ferocity. Esdeath went to the prow in preparation to repeat the last time she calmed the sea. Ichigo didn't move as the entire vessel began to glow for the spiritually aware.

“Kukanten'i.” He whispered, making everything reappear on the other side of the storm. “Next stop, the territory of the Grand Empire.” He said with a proud smirk.

(Quincy base)

The sounds of wet smacks reverberated through the caves of the hidden castle, finding their origins in a throne room with Syura strung up by chains and getting beaten to the point of bleeding. Gilgamesh sat upon his throne with the indifference of watching an ant being crushed as Syura was brutally punished on his order. The crimes of wasting the king's time and because Syura was still vile scum.

“Enough, it's time we ended this.” Gilgamesh calmly ordered, the Soldats beating on the bastard stopped and stepped back.

“Please my lord,” he tried to say through swollen lips and missing teeth, “I brought you what you wanted, I did as you demanded, so why!?” He coughed up globs of blood and another tooth. “What warrants this punishment!?” A dagger suddenly found itself in his thigh, piercing through bone and muscle.

“If you truly wish to know mon... no. Even mongrel is too generous.” The Quincy lord stated as he glared at the tortured servant. “It's because I've wanted to watch you die from the moment I met you.” Gilgamesh actually growled at the hanging man. “The first crime was that you dared to believe you could be my equal, but the more I learned of you the more the desire to have you killed grew. Believe it or not you disgusting wretch, I do have standards. Standards that found you and your ilk so vile that I should have struck you down the moment I met you. However, I could still use you and let that Soul Reaper and his allies do the job for me. That alchemist is still useful, but not you... except maybe for meat.” Syura gawked in horror, knowing the monstrosities that awaited him and the usual mercy of killing the victims was likely one that would be denied him.

“Please my lord! I can sti-!” Syura tried to say but his voice disappeared, courtesy of Xaros who appeared behind his lord. With a wave of the golden Quincy's hand, Syura was then dragged away, down corridors filled with more and more horrific monstrosities that Dorothea created until reaching a door that read 'Hecatoncries'. The door opened and revealed Honest, mutating into a disgusting multi-limbed abomination that was growing bigger and bigger with all that he was eating. Syura saw various Danger Beasts and people, all of which were being eaten raw. “Pops?” Syura asked in horror, not realizing that his voice returned. He was thrown inside when Honest stopped eating and noticed his son.

“Hungry.” Was all Honest said before charging at his helpless son.


	22. Countdown

(With Ichigo's Group)

Ichigo returned to his meditations, dedicating himself to training for Kyoka Suigetsu's Bankai which was becoming more and more of an uphill battle. Unlike his fight with Aizen, she matched him in speed, power, strength, and he was unable to use the same trick to find her real body as last time. Esdeath was attempting to do the same, determined to dominate her Zanpakuto and gain the power of Bankai, before being talked into giving language lessons to the Sokai teens and blacksmiths while the assassin tried to attain her Shikai. Wave eventually noticed and trained with Akame and Esdeath, whoever wasn't helping teach the Sokai group. Despite the days they spent on training, the furthest they got was simply hearing another voice before entering the Empire's canal system.

Hinowa and her friends thought they were ready to see what the outside world had to offer from stories Esdeath told them about her hunts, from what Mine told them about the buildings, what Akame had said about the food. They were utterly floored by the city they found themselves in. The towering buildings, the crowds of people, the smells in the air, all of it was foreign and they found it amazing. Ichigo remembered that Makoto said something about throwing a celebration in honor of connecting to the Eastern nations. A welcome distraction from the horrors they were subjected to earlier as a somber air still lingered but the festivities still held. The kids enjoyed much of what the Capital had to offer, some attractions holding more attention than others, until finally they got to the palace.

“Welcome, citizens of Sokai,” Chouri greeted while Akame handled translation, “his eminence, Emperor Makoto, welcomes you to the Grand Empire.” The group were escorted toward the throne room while Ichigo himself started heading for the basement, looking to get some extra work done before returning to his training, when he felt a disturbance in the air.

'I know this presence.' He thought before flashing away and reappearing high above the palace dome, scanning the vicinity before finding a hooded figure in Vandenreich garb riding a Reishi platform. Ichigo immediately tensed, ready for battle and waited for the right moment to strike. The Quincy in question held up what seemed to be an envelope and held it out, like he was giving it to the hybrid. Faster than the Quincy could react, Ichigo took the proffered letter while still glaring at the Quincy.

“It's just a normal letter, if that's what you're wondering.” He answered before floating away. “Lord Gilgamesh would never stoop so low.” The Quincy then flew away, leaving Ichigo alone in the sky. Gilgamesh certainly didn't seem like the kind to poison anyone, but that didn't mean his underlings wouldn't. He finally took it down to his lab and tested it for any kind of poison or viral agent that would prove any way dangerous. Only after confirming it was safe did he open the letter and read the contents within.

They had one month before Gilgamesh would launch an assault against the capital.

(Underneath the Palace)

“Stylish, since we have long since abandoned the idea that I'm not in constant contact with the Gotei, patch me through to squad 12 with a message to get the Captain Commander.” Ichigo ordered as he slumped into a chair.

“Yes sir.” The AI responded as it immediately began to enact those commands. Ichigo brought the message to the attention of Budo, Makoto, and anyone else relevant and they immediately began prepping for battle. Scout patrols were sent out to check on every territory of the empire to see if the people outside the capital were still safe and the Sokai smiths were allowed to examine every remaining Teigu in the Empire's possession and told to get to work. Budo sent out an order to the remaining forces around the Empire to return to the Capital while leaving skeleton crews behind to man their respective posts and Chouri, on Makoto's orders, took a gamble in trying to get aid from the other kingdoms. Before Ichigo's team could ask him anything Esdeath demanded that they all get back to training since they had the month to strengthen themselves, giving Ichigo this time to contact Soul Society.

“Hi~ Ichigo~!” Kisuke sang out as he and Yamamoto appeared on screen. “How have you been?”

“The Quincy known as Gilgamesh plans to attack the Empire's capital after a month has passed.” The hybrid immediately reported and letting the gravity of the matter sink in for the two senior officers. “How much time do I have left?”

“Our forces are gathering together for the final preparations. A couple of weeks to learn how to work together. Now report what has been going on with you.” Yamamoto ordered and listened as Ichigo gave a full report of the past weeks to his commander. “It was agreed that you'd be granted a measure of leniency in your test due to measures outside of your control. Ending up discovered on entry due to the unforeseen severity of change in the beginning, preventing war crimes being done in your name, the Quincy invasion, but it doesn't change this judgment Ichigo. You failed your test, got too involved in the affairs of the world, and permanently altered their course in history due to your actions.” 

Ichigo stayed his tongue, forcing back the part that wanted to argue that he did the right thing. But it was the right thing of a person, not a Soul Reaper. Shinigami had to be more detached from the world otherwise they'd become direct tyrants and that was something Soul Society was already struggling to fix.

“Still, I'm proud of you my boy.” The old dragon said with a smile. “You still acted to save innocent lives and protect as many souls as you could. You failed your test, but failed in a way that any teacher could be proud of.” Ichigo felt himself blush at the dragon's praise. “We'll send in a team to aid you-”

“I decline sir.” Ichigo interrupted, surprising Kisuke and making Yamamoto raise an eyebrow in question. “This is my war, Gilgamesh wants me. I won't always be able to expect backup and this is something I'm honor bound to finish.” There was a silence before the Head Captain nodded, giving Ichigo his consent. “Thank you sir. Now if you'll excuse me,” Kyoka Suigetsu manifested behind Ichigo, “I've got a Bankai to attain and Shinigami to train.”

(Training: Round 1)

For two days after that call Ichigo dug out a large hole to fill with healing hotspring water for recovery. Esdeath was the first to test its effectiveness with the Sokai teens due to her rough training practices. After they proved that it worked Ichigo called the members of his team to the underground to begin their harsh training.

“Okay, here's what needs to happen,” he started, “everyone needs to learn their Zanpakuto's name and gain the power of Shikai. Esdeath, Sheele, Bulat, and Daidara have this power and it's the easier of the Zanpakuto's powers to gain. Gaining this power requires harmonization of yourself and your blade, allowing you to hear the voice of your Zanpakuto Spirit.” Ichigo explained in greater detail the relationship of Shinigami and Zanpakuto to his team of fresh reapers. “These aren't random blades, they aren't Teigu, they are YOUR POWERS and you must learn to treat them as a reflection of yourself.” Some of the team looked to their swords, understanding Ichigo's advice and determined to earn their power while others looked mainly confused at the concept.

“Everyone that already has their Shikai, get into Jinzen and train with your spirit, everyone else,” Ichigo unsheathed his Kido blade, “shatter, Kyoka Suigetsu.” The sound of glass breaking echoed as Ichigo disappeared, “Start running.” they heard before Leone was sent flying. Suzuka and Mez jumped away, Wave rushed to aid his ally, Akame and Kurome immediately slashed at where Leone was attacked, thinking Ichigo was there. Their blades sliced through the air harmlessly, reminding the sisters of just how fast Ichigo was. Then Akame's every instinct screamed at her to run and she jumped back while blocking and still felt the edge of a blade brush against her skin. Kurome vanished in that instant.

'How!? I blocked- Kyoka Suigetsu's power is based in hypnosis.' The assassin reminded herself. 'He can alter my perception however he-' She couldn't finish as Ichigo immediately appeared before her again, this time she felt her throat get slashed open, forcing her to drop to her knees. There was no cut but now she understood just how terrifying that sword was.

“Aren't you supposed to be the top assassin?” Ichigo was immediately behind her, blade to her throat. “Your mind is in chaos, you've lost your focus, how disappoint-” The hybrid disappeared as Mez and Suzuka attempted to free Akame by attacking from behind and Ichigo appeared in front of Akame with his sword point hovering over Akame's heart. “Too slow.” He whispered before slamming his palm against her chest and sending all three flying. “What's holding you back?” Ichigo asked as she rolled to a stop. “You were ready to do whatever it took to win the revolution, even kill your-” He stopped, considering what he was about to say. “Your most precious person.” Akame glared at Ichigo before her eyes widened, seeing Kurome struggling with his hand around her throat.

“KUROME!” The assassin cried out before charging again, focused on helping her sister.

“That's it, isn't it?” Ichigo and Kurome vanished from her sight just as she was about to cut him and Akame had to remind herself of the hypnosis again. “You're worried about your sister again, scared you'll lose her just after getting her back. How like a proper older sibling.” Ichigo reappeared again, Kurome turning blue in his grip and Akame struggling to focus on finding an opening. “But I can't afford any weakness among my team, not for this battle. If she's holding you back,” there was a loud crack and Kurome went limp in his hand, “then I'll remove it. Now try to avenge her.” Akame froze as she felt her world shatter, staring into her sister's lifeless eyes.

'It's just an illusion. It's just an illusion.' She kept thinking, telling herself that Ichigo wouldn't be this cruel. 'It's just an illusion. It HAS TO BE an illusion.' Ichigo threw the body to her and Akame caught her sister. 'An illusion. Nothing but an-'

“Too weak to save her, and too weak to avenge her.” The hybrid said to her. “You were always too weak to protect her, so you decided to kill her yourself.” Akame felt her heart stop, being reminded of how she did give up on her most precious family member. “I wonder if any other friend of yours will fail me too. Spare them the trouble of dying in the war.”

“Consign them,” She felt the words come to her as the image of a snake-like woman whispered to her, “Chimei-tekina kisu!” The silver color on her katana evaporated and formed a thin black cloud around a red blade. “Eliminate.” She whispered before utilizing what little flash-step skill she had to flash toward Ichigo, this time nearly cutting him. She was ignoring everything her senses were telling her and focused on her killer instinct, coming close to her target more and more, and Ichigo allowed it to happen. He had never seen a blade like Akame's and curiosity forced his hand, allowing a small cut on his palm before ripping his arm off at the elbow.

'Time to end this.' “Shatter, Kyoka Suigetsu.” The sound of glass breaking rang out and Akame was immediately immobilized. “Bakudo #61, Rikujokoro. Congratulations Akame.” The assassin continued to struggle before Kurome appeared in front of her.

“That's enough Sis, it's gonna be okay.” Akame was so stunned that she fell to her knees when Ichigo undid the binding Kido.

“K-Kurome? But... I saw-”

“Just an illusion sister.” She said, wrapping her arms around her shocked family who tightly returned the embrace. Ichigo smiled at the scene, feeling guilty for forcing Akame like that but mostly content with the results. At least one person earned their Shikai, while most everyone else was already beaten and unconscious with Leone struggling to her feet.

“Why do you even want to fight? What drives you?” Ichigo asked the blonde as she rose to her feet. “You have nothing to avenge, no noble cause, everyone and even you yourself admit that you joined this fight less out of a disgust for the injustice of the corrupt empire and more because you love fighting. What is it that's preventing you from harmonizing, from finding balance within your soul?”

“Shuryo Raion told me his name from the moment you started this exercise.” She returned.

“...what?” Ichigo growled.

“We're battle fanatics, as you say. I just wanted to see what it'd be like fighting you.” Ichigo glared at her. “Activate my Shikai?”

“Yes, preferably before I make up my mind and decide to break your legs.”

“Roar, Shuryo Raion!” She held her hands and blade out like claws, forming the aura of a lion's head as the blade flashed and formed into savage looking combat claws. “Well?” Ichigo smiled and walked up to her.

“Better,” he then karate chopped her on the head and sent her crashing down, “don't ever waste our time like this again. We're on the clock, get everyone to the healing springs and we'll continue tomorrow. I'm going to do some training of my own.”

(Ichigo's Training: round 1)

“Okay... let's do this.” The hybrid said, prepping himself for whatever challenges Kyoka Suigetsu might send his way. He had aided in getting the injured to the healing springs, informed the group training in Jinzen to take a break, then left his poisoned severed arm with Stylish to analyze before he went as far from the group as possible to begin his Bankai training. “Are you ready Kyoka?” He asked as the female Zanpakuto spirit manifested.

“Be ready Ich-” She started before a baseball-sized hole appeared in her chest, shocking the both of them. As she fell, Ichigo reached out to her and felt an emptiness in his own chest with a burning pain, finding a smoking hole in his chest as well that was slowly healing.

“What a shame, I actually missed.” Ichigo heard a familiar voice, spinning to find a man dressed like a general with long black hair, a thick mustache and muttonchops, and reddish brown eyes. He wore a white Quincy military uniform with a maroon colored cloak around his figure with the Quincy symbol proudly displayed on his chest. A man Ichigo knew and one he vowed to kill. “I was aiming for your spine.” Ichigo immediately attacked the man, the dual blades of Zangetsu slamming against a Dadao blade with a bird-shaped crossguard.

“BANKAI!” Ichigo roared, wasting no time in going to his strongest state and disregarding any damage he'd do to the world around him as black Reishi swirled around him. This was Yhwach, the man that almost killed Ichigo's mother, the man that posed the greatest threat to the world as he knew it, the man he was training with his spirits and with Yamamoto to kill. The Reishi faded and Ichigo was in his Vasto Lorde Hell armor, unleashing a black, red, and gold blast at the Quincy emperor, mixing Getsuga Tensho with his Gran Rey Cero and the energy of Hell. Yhwach brushed it aside with ease as it tore a gash into the earth.

“Do you honestly think you could best me?” The Quincy taunted before flashing behind Ichigo and nearly cut into him before Ichigo blocked and was being forced to his knees by the sheer amount of strength. “What do you think I did while you were playing with these weaklings?” He held a hand out in front of Ichigo and dropped an eye-patch, Kenpachi's eye-patch, shocking the hybrid to his core. “It was quite easy actually. They dropped their guard after training and a few quick strikes took out everything.” Black portals appeared before Ichigo with some Soldats appearing, bearing his parents and sisters crucified on Quincy crosses.

“...no. NO!” Ichigo roared, slipping from Yhwach's blade and firing a quick Getsuga to rid himself of the horrifying image. “This isn't happening, it's just an illusion, there's no way this happened!” He pointed his blade at Yhwach again but froze when a blade pierced his heart.

“I'm sorry Ichigo.” The familiar and remorseful voice of Uryu said as the Quincy in question cut through Ichigo's body with a Jian blade. “I had no choice.” Ichigo stumbled and looked to his cousin, who seemed to be trying to prevent his own movements as his blade touched his neck. “No Quincy can defy him.” That was the last thing Uryu said before decapitating himself. Ichigo felt his world shatter as the life drained from his body.

“That's enough.” Kyoka's voice sounded out before the sound of shattering glass echoed out and Yhwach was replaced by the female Zanpakuto spirit, with the terrified members of Ichigo's team watching and trembling. While trying to process everything he saw, Ichigo became aware of his fading life force as he fell over and blacked out. Esdeath ran over to him as he fell and picked him up, carrying him to the healing springs with intentions of finding out what happened.

(Ichigo's Inner World)

“What was that?” Ichigo asked as he lay on a lake far beneath the sideways city of his world, still bleeding from the injuries with his head resting in Kyoka's lap, numb to everything. “That wasn't what happened when I fought Aizen.”

“Aizen only knew a fraction of what my power could do,” the female spirit told her wielder while reminiscing on her previous master, “I couldn't show him the true extent of my abilities and he never wanted to know. If he did use the true power of my Bankai, you would not have beaten him.” She began to stroke his head while his body began to heal. “But there's the contradiction of Sosuke Aizen; a man who wanted to stand atop all other beings and desired someone able to match him, craved endless power but had no reason for doing, knowing that he needed greater strength yet denying himself that power. In the end he only learned a fraction of my Bankai's ability; reflected reality. Illusions so real, hypnosis so thorough that the mind makes it real.”

“So... did you even attack me yourself?” The hybrid asked, trying to understand the potency of this new power.

“No, but I hurt myself pretty badly in the beginning. It requires so much energy and it does not discriminate, putting yourself in as much risk as your opponents. You needed to see and feel the kind of danger that comes from using my Bankai, and you are still vastly inferior to Aizen in terms of control of my blade. This training could very easily kill you, so are you still going to try and force me to submit?” Ichigo thought about it for a moment. Would gaining this Bankai be worth it? Would it ultimately help him in his fight against Gilgamesh and Yhwach? Could he control it?

“I'm too stubborn to give up,” Ichigo finally answered, “no matter what you throw at me. I need all the power I can get.” Kyoka smiled down at her master and made him fall asleep to return to the outside world.

'It's what drives you that sets you apart from Aizen the most.' She thought to herself as she laid down to rest.

(Outside world)

Ichigo woke with a gasp and a pained grunt as the injuries he suffered had healed but the pain had yet to fully pass. He was in one of the healing springs with both Esdeath and Akame tending to him, one was washing him while the other injected him with a painkiller and soothing his aches. Around him was the rest of the members of his team, looking at him with fear, awe, and concern, unsure of what to really make of the raw power Ichigo had displayed... or whether to tell him of the panic topside that Makoto was trying to quell. Ichigo didn't even need to ask as he knew they were curious and this was the first time he ever brought up Bankai.

“Was that the power of Bankai?” Esdeath asked, making Ichigo look at her in surprise. “Marik said something about it back in Kyoroch. Told me to ask you about it but I never had the chance, we became too busy.” Ichigo nodded before pulling himself to his feet.

“Shikai is the initial release, the transformation of the Zanpakuto to a new form with different abilities. Bankai is the full power of a Zanpakuto and far more dangerous. Shikai requires a measure of understanding oneself while Bankai requires you to make your power submit.”

“If Bankai are really that powerful, than why aren't we training to get it?”

“Shikai are rather simple to control and Bankai can be just as dangerous to you as your enemy Esdeath. It takes ten years of dedicated training at minimum to attain plus the time to master it. We don't have the time for you all to can that kind of power when we only have a month.” There were mixed reactions among the group but Ichigo rose out of the water and started making his way to the staircase. “Come on, let's get some food before continuing our training.” Some of the team started to follow, eager to fill their bellies to prepare for the next round of training, but Esdeath didn't move. Instead she looked to her blade and grinned, ready to tackle a new challenge before feeling something tugging at her soul.

“Don't even think about it Esdeath,” Ichigo's voice spoke out in her mind, “we do not have the time. Focus on mastering your Shikai only.” The pull on her was released and Esdeath was harshly reminded of the leash Ichigo had on her.

(Bols' Restaurant: 3 weeks remaining)

“No. I'm done killing.” The former incinerator told the military officers that came to his new place of business while he prepared ingredients. “I quit after coming to terms with the corruption of the Empire, I don't want anymore blood on my hands.”

“Sir, this is different than before,” one of the officers said, “we are running out of time and they will be invading the Capital. This isn't a revolution or a civil uprising, this is the source of corruption that plagued the Empire.” The cover story Ichigo and the heads of state came up with while those that knew the truth kept quiet. “We need all the Teigu users to stand with us in defense of our country and nobody paired with Rubicante like you did. The latest upgrade has made it particularly picky.”

“I said that I'm... latest upgrade?” Bols had heard about people coming from not only the East but all over the world as the Western Kingdom and Southern Tribes also reported trouble with the Quincy, barely repelling the attacks that crippled their armies, and that they were the most learned scientists and craftsman to come together to work on new Teigu, but he didn't expect to hear that his former Teigu would be part of that. One of the officers brought out a case and opened it up, revealing thinner tank and the original nozzle was switched out for a pair that seemed to be wrist mounted with a series of cords and tubes that would go ahead the arm. Along with it was a new black gas-mask that Bols could tell was supposed to do more than shield from heat and smoke.

“According to the experts that worked on it, it's supposed to be able to control the burn. Meaning if you don't want to hurt something then it won't.” The man said, causing Bols to look skeptical but Teigu were able to do some weird things. So the former pyro-user took up the new Teigu... and he could swear that it felt warm, a happy kind of heat, as he put on the new apparatus. He activated the flame thrower and tested it on some meat, cooking a steak to perfection while the rest of the kitchen was miraculously untouched. He tried again on the officers, most flinching but the man at the forefront withstood it and wasn't harmed. Bols felt something inside and figured that he might've been using Reishi to fuel the new Rubicante. “Please sir. The Empire needs you.”

“...This is the last time.” Bols said after thinking and donning his new mask. “After this battle, I'm done with the military.” 'Time to do something right.' He thought as he bid his wife and daughter good-bye to train with his new weapon.

(School in the Capital: Same time)

Run was grading worksheets for his new class, having joined the academy for if and when the final battle came. His answer finally came with two soldiers carrying a long case, undoubtedly holding his own improved Mastema. Everyone stayed quiet and patient as Run finished the last few papers of his class, setting them aside in a completed pile and clearing his desk for the case. The soldiers wordlessly set it upon the desk, opening it to reveal eight disks with side openings. Run took one and lifted it, with four following it as if connected, and placed it on his back before repeating the action with the other four discs. Without saying anything he unfurled eight pure white wings, each lined with razor sharp feathers. After examining them for a bit they returned to plain discs and Run wrote one last this, a message to the headmaster of the school informing of his obligations to the military.

“Deliver this.” He ordered, giving the note to one of the soldiers who set out to his task. “Let's go to war one last time Mastema.” Run whispered to his Teigu as he followed the other soldier, returning to one of the military training sites.

(Royal Chambers: 2 weeks remaining)

“How are preparations?” Makoto demanded of his council, consisting of generals Budo and Najenda along with Prime Minister Chouri.

“The former Rakshasa Demons, Suzuka and Mez, that are now part of Ichigo's team made progress.” Najenda reported. “Suzuka has this sword whip blade called, 'Kinji Rareta Yorokobi ' while Mez has a pair of claws called 'Kakucho tatchi'. The sword whip has this ability she called 'seductive pain' and I just walked after hearing that and Mez's claws shoot an incredible distance with tremendous piercing power. Also they both figured out how to manipulate their bodies like they were able to in life. Ichigo had a theory about subconscious belief that they lost that ability since they died.”

“The other armies are gathering with the hopes that they'll flank the enemy once we've engaged the Quincy.” Chouri announced. “The other kings will want proper compensation for their efforts, an equal share in the advancements our combined resources make.”

“While we've been unable to make more Teigu, we have improved what Teigu we do have and have been mass producing Meihou and Shingu.” Budo continued with his side but seemed conflicted. “There have been no new reports on where the Quincy are hiding... and a lord that makes my job a bit more difficult.”

“I told you Budo, I'm not hiding away anymore.” Makoto practically growled, irritated of having this argument again. “I'm not going to hide in the palace like a coward while my people fight and die. I will be there with them when the fighting starts. The duty of the generals will be to protect me while providing tactical orders, but I will be standing with my soldiers. I have to be there and I am NOT budging on this.” The reactions of the adults were mixed, pride and concern being the most prevalent.

“As you command your highness.” They reluctantly said before proceeding with the meeting.

(Training Grounds: 1½ Weeks Remaining)

“Again.” Ichigo ordered the last pair of trainees, Wave and Kurome, as they continued their attempts to learn the names of their Zanpakuto. Kurome was panting from the effort of trying and failing to cut the hybrid, who always moved too fast for her to actually touch, while Wave was decorated in cuts and bruises from getting thrown around by Ichigo. Wave growled and charged at him again, trying to get behind the Soul Reaper before getting a foot buried in his gut and sending him flying once again. Kurome did manage to approach from his side, using all her assassin training to hide her presence, only for Ichigo to easily dodge her every strike with minimal effort. “Are you even thinking or do you just always charge in head first and hope you're strong enough?” He taunted as he flashed behind Wave who tried to slash at Ichigo again. The hybrid caught his, but Wave immediately moved to kick Ichigo with both feet and tried to use the sudden weight change to knock Ichigo off-balance. It didn't work as Ichigo tossed him aside at the last moment.

'He doesn't really think but he is adapting quickly.' Ichigo thought as Kurome closed in again and he dodged her attacks again. 'Probably from all the sea creatures he battled while in the navy.' Kurome was getting more and more frustrated with how Ichigo never seemed to acknowledge her presence beyond quick dodges, and he never once looked at her no matter what. “Use your head Wave! You're adapting, but what good is that if your opponent still outclasses you?”

“No advice for me?” Kurome complained while panting. “Why have you been ignoring me?” As she said this, she made for another swing and Ichigo didn't move... resulting in Kurome's hands starting to bleed and freezing her in shock.

“What should I tell you?” The air became heavy as the hybrid let out more and more Reiatsu, slowly suffocating the girl “That you're weak? That you're slow? That you're inferior to your sister? You already know this, you used to dope yourself all the time just to keep up with the rest of the squad. Wave's too stupid to actually listen to his Zanpakuto but at least he can fight on his own. Why should I bother with dead weight?” Wave heard all this and froze, shocked by the harshness of the comment. Ichigo was always rough with their training, but this was the first time he made it seem like he was giving up on one of his team. The shock slowly gave way to anger and he was about to rush again but then he tried to listen, remembering that that was the whole point of this training.

'He... he's right.' Kurome thought to herself, feeling her will being crushed by Ichigo's Reiatsu. 'I... I was never good enough. Not for the empire... not for sis... not for anyone.'

“You always relied on drugs to keep up.” She heard a voice say, dragging her away into a realm filled with strings, puppets, and bones, all moving to the whims of a massive cloaked figure with hundreds of thousands of strings leading back to it. “So why not go back?” A few strings went taut and a tray of cookies appeared before her, specifically the ones that were always laced with her drugs. “It's easier. After all, look at all that you killed while on them.” The the bones and puppets moved, hundreds of them and only a few she recognized as people she killed and enslaved with Yatsufusa. “You need them... right?” It was so tempting, to go back to being as strong as she used to be, to be able to stand by her sister's side... to fight alongside Wave and not be a liability. She took a cookie and brought it to her mouth, stopping before she could bite down.

“...No.” She whispered, dropping the drugged confection. “NO!” She took her sword and slashed the table. “NEVER AGAIN! I'M NOT GOING BACK!” She glared at the figure above her while the puppets slowly fell apart, one by one. “I... can't go back. I won't disappoint them like that. My sister or Wave. If I can't fight in this war, than I'll have to keep training until I can stand proudly by their sides. Without the drugs, even if I have to do it without you, Foru Chita Yakusoku.” She then froze, realizing she knew the figure's name and what it was before she was back in the training arena.

“Taidarunaito?” She looked to see Ichigo, looking confused as Wave was swinging around... anchors? One looked like battle ax while the other was more like a hammer, both connected by a chain. “Why am I not surprised?” The hybrid sighed as the blade anchor came flying at him, only to get smacked aside by his bare hand. “Well now that you've got your Shikai, shall you move on to the next part of your training?”

“Not until you apologize to Kurome!” Wave yelled back, pulling the blade anchor and charging at Ichigo with the hammer anchor. The Shinigami got ready to catch the navy man when Kurome thrust her blade forward, making it unravel like strings that wrapped around Ichigo's arm and surprising him. Not enough to be effective as he still punched Wave in the face, sending him flying back.

“Look at you, managing to earn your Shikai after all.” The hybrid said with a proud smirk. “Good job Kurome.” The black eyed girl smiled at the praise and at Wave who once again tried to bludgeon Ichigo with his anchor, only for it to be caught once again. “Seriously? She has her Shikai, meaning my method worked! Can you focus on your training so I can focus on mine?” Suddenly Akame appeared with her Shikai and tried to cut him, Ichigo flinching away from the blade that he learned had an ever changing poison.

“I heard what you did to my sister,” Akame said, glaring at her lover, “and even I think you took it too far.” Ichigo tossed Wave and Akame back as all three got ready to attack.

“So I don't get to focus on my training until I pay for this?” The glares from all three followed by their coordinated assault was all the answer he got. “I'll make it up to you after the war.” He whispered before knocking them all unconscious with impossible speed. “I don't have any more time to waste.”

(Quincy Hideout: 1 week remaining)

Gilgamesh sat in his throne, out of his armor, with a goblet of a fine wine in his hand. He was being patient, knowing that the Empire was gathering its and the world's strength to battle him, but he doubted that he'd be part of that fight. That small skirmish with the hybrid gave him more than enough evidence that their fight would be far away from everyone else. He just hopes that the mongrel would provide enough entertainment. He took a sip from his cup and relished the intoxicating taste of his drink, wondering if he should be so generous as to let the hybrid enjoy a fine wine before killing him in battle.

(With Ichigo: 3 Days remaining)

Devastation. That was the only way to describe the aftermath of the training field. Ichigo insisted that everyone and everything be moved out of the underground base so he and Kyoka Suigetsu could go all out. It was chaos and Ichigo forced himself to weather it all. He drowned, he burned, he suffocated, he struggled through broken bones, severed limbs, earth flattening explosions, the vacuum of space, and yet he still stayed standing. He was missing an arm and a leg, forced to stand on his sword like a cane because his remaining leg was shattered, blind from one eye popping with the other being cut open, half of his body was covered in gaping holes with the rest either frost bitten or charred black, and he refused to fall. Because after all that did Kyoka, still pristine and beautiful, kneel before him in submission.

“My power is yours.” She said, returning to his inner world as Ichigo finally collapsed, being caught by Zangetsu and taken somewhere safe while he rebuilt the healing springs.


	23. Battle of Kings

(Time Remaining: Hours)

A dark air hung in the capital ever since morning, tense with the military preparations and grim with the expectation of battle, the armies of the empire were ready to move the moment the call came. Almost all of the Shinigami were doing some light practice and testing new techniques with their Zanpakuto, Makoto sitting on his throne and waiting for the coming battle, Esdeath and Budo doing some last minute preparations with the Soukai children, and Ichigo sat atop the palace with Marik and Mira, watching and waiting for the whatever signal the Quincy would provide.

“You're doing very well.” Esdeath told Hinowa as they continued sparring in the training field among her army, the general coming to a conclusion on a decision during her time in Soukai. “Hinowa, I've been thinking... would you become my daughter?” The sudden question shocked the girl and the whole army, freezing them in place and giving Esdeath an opening to kick Hinowa's legs out from under her. “Never lose focus or drop your guard. How many times have I said that?” The ice user scolded before helping her protege up.

“Too often,” the foreigner admitted, “but... that was just so sudden. Why did you ask that?” Esdeath smiled looked into the distance, northward and in a land her family once frequented.

“I'm the last surviving member of the Partas Clan, a nomadic tribe of hunters that stayed in the norther territory of the empire.” She said, recalling the days of her family and the fires she found after one of her solo hunts. “My father always taught me that the strong lived while the weak deserved to die, a philosophy I kept for most of my life. But they were attacked by another tribe and destroyed, leaving me as the sole survivor by mere chance. I once thought that I'd one day restore my clan, but I always sought out the next battle so I adopted my soldiers as my family.” She said, making her troops blush and smile with pride while her smile faded. “But, I... don't think I'll ever have a child of my own and this may be my last chance. If I was to have a child, I'd be honored to have you as my successor and name you Hinowa Partas.” That shocked her soldiers with many refusing to believe while others remembered her fights with Ichigo, that there are some out there stronger than Esdeath.

“This... this is a bit... overwhelming.” Hinowa said, disbelief and shock running through her system. “Can... can I have some time to think about it?” Esdeath was about to smile before she felt something in the air change.

“I can't promise much.” A spirit light streaked across the sky and was caught by Ichigo, causing a massive disturbance in the air. “Troops! Get ready to move out!” She ordered, her army scrambling to obey. Ichigo soon flashed away and Esdeath knew it was time. The final battle was here.

(Calm before the battle)

The promised day had come, the morning of battle and bloodshed. The sun began to rise as the military of the empire stood ready. Esdeath took the ground forces and stood in the front like an immovable wall daring any to challenge, Najenda held the wall with the archers, riflemen, and artillery ready to fire, and Budo floated in the sky, ready to order the many soldiers and Danger Beast mounts of the air force to take flight and battle. Ichigo was with Makoto deep within a hidden section at the top of the palace, where the final weapon of the royal family laid dormant. The two reached the door and Ichigo activated the Kido Tenteikura as Makoto continued toward the Teigu of the royal family, Imperial Guardian: Shikoutazer.

The room had an odd design, the walls being made of uneven blocks while the floor consisted of round platforms with a staircase leading to a monolith with a circular emblem in the center and a block in front with a keyhole, with the royal scepter being the key.

“Soldiers of the empire,” Makoto started, knowing that what he said was being transmitted by Ichigo's Kido as he stood before the block, “brothers and sisters in arms. Today dawns not a peaceful day but a day of blood. Today we stand together to face a far greater danger than any the empire has known. So I beseech you, I beg you, stand tall and fight!” He stabbed the scepter into the keyhole, wind and energy now bursting from the monolith. “Fight! Fight for your homes, for your families, for tomorrow, for the new golden age of the empire!” A massive armored head appeared from the ground, dark and gold with a design of the imperial crown on its head. “Together! Push back and banish this evil!” The armor continued to rise, revealing more of the black and gold armor and a high collared cloak. “Go now Shinigami. I have no more words.” He softly spoke as a sphere engulfed him and went inside the Teigu as it continued to rise.

“You've come a long way Makoto.” Ichigo said with a smile before flashing to the head of the Teigu, standing among the clouds before sighting a flash of gold beyond the imperial army. Understanding who it was, Ichigo flashed above the gate and saw his enemy, sitting smugly upon his throne on Vianna with the same hooded figure from earlier. Wordlessly, Gilgamesh summoned a hundred different weapons and shot them at Ichigo who proceeded to knock them all aside with ease. The golden armored Sternritter smiled in response.

“Xaros, take command of my forces.” he ordered the figure who jumped off the vessel. “Follow me.” He told the hybrid before flying away, Ichigo following behind. Xaros watched his lord fly off before looking at Esdeath before raising his hand and causing the enemy army to reveal its many hundreds of thousands of soldiers, Danger Beasts, and a horribly misshapen abomination with a hundred limbs and fifty faces. A barrage of spirit arrows began to fire, forcing Esdeath to create a massive wall of ice.

'The last battle I'll use my Teigu... it's been fun, Demon's Extract.' She thought as she withstood the attack that was soon broken by missile strikes from the royal Teigu. “Grauhorn!” She shouted, making a massive icicle shoot from her ice wall and into the Quincy army as they redirected their fire to the missiles, then the wall crumbled and the fragments of ice shot like bullets from a thrust of Esdeath's hand. “FOR THE EMPIRE!” She shouted as she led the charge.

(With Ichigo and Gilgamesh)

The two flew at mach speeds until finally coming to a wasteland where Gilgamesh finally decided to land with Ichigo following close behind. The hybrid cracked his neck and was about ready to draw Zangetsu when the golden Quincy created a portal and brought out two golden goblets and a gold pitcher. The Quincy tossed one of the goblets to Ichigo and poured himself a drink of rich red wine before setting the pitcher on the ground and looked at Ichigo expectantly. The Soul Reaper got the message and took the offer, pouring himself a glass.

“Normally I'd refuse due to being underage back home,” he started as he filled his cup with a maroon colored wine and took an experimental sip, “but if this is to be our last meeting than I will accept the generosity.” He smiled at the flavor he tasted, smooth and rich from the fruits that made it, before returning his attention to Gilgamesh. “Speaking of, why the generosity in the first place? I expected us to just start trying to kill each other.” The Quincy actually smiled with a quick laugh at that before holding his cup out with Ichigo refilling it.

“Our fight will come soon, I promise you.” He took a steady drink, enjoying his wine with a smug smile. “However, it is not often I am faced with a strong opponent. Now that you're more man than beast, I have to show courtesy due to that strength. Beating you will be a worthy feat to my tale.”

“Is that why you came to this world?” Ichigo asked after taking another drink. “To increase your notoriety? Is it truly worth the effort to come all the way here for Yhwach?”

“That mongrel that fancies himself a god is but a stepping stone in my quest to take what is rightfully mine; dominion of all things as their king.”

“But in partaking of Yhwach's spirit and blood, you've sentenced yourself to death at his leisure.” The seated Quincy gave a pointed look to Ichigo, waiting for an explanation. “Auswahlen, the ability to claim back whatever fragment of one's soul that was placed in another. Every Quincy under Yhwach's command has some of his soul with the Sternritters having drunk his blood. The moment you kill me could be the moment you die.” Gilgamesh looked into his cup and took another sip.

“Not an issue at the moment.” The golden Quincy finished his wine and rose to his feet. “I'll deal with that pretender eventually but for now, my pride demands that I take your head. Even if you swore fealty to me in exchange for aiding you in killing that false king.”

“I see.” Ichigo acknowledged as he finished his drink. “It appears that the two of us could never be allies, no matter the circumstance. You just irritate me.” The two, at the same time, threw their glasses into the air and began walking away to make a respectable distance to the other. “So, shall we do a quick warm-up before we really cut loose?” The hybrid asked as he activated Zangetsu.

“I don't see why not.” Gilgamesh returned, hundreds of portals appearing behind him. “Begin.” He said before firing the first salvo of blades at Ichigo before the many others following the Soul Reaper as he moved around the field at great speeds. The hybrid was closing the distance before jumping away as chains and spears erupted from around Gilgamesh, creating a strong barrier between them as more and more portals appeared. “My arsenal is endless mongrel. I have any number of weapons with which to end you.” Ichigo was back where he started and analyzed his chances.

“Very well, time to stop playing.” The hybrid stabbed Zangetsu into the ground and unsheathed Kyoka Suigetsu. “I haven't mastered this yet, but I don't really have a choice. Bankai,” the sword evaporated into mist as the air rippled like water, “Kagami no Bun'ya de no Tsukiakari no Nisshoku.” The area around them was now riddled with an endless number of blades of all kinds. “Welcome, to my MoonLight Armory. My counter to your endless arsenal.”

(Battlefield)

The air was choked with smoke and fire, filled with bullets, arrows, stones, and missiles, and ringing with the cries of rage and violence and the dying. The many barely trained soldats of the Quincy army falling rather quickly to the more experienced members of the imperial army and certain Teigu uswers, but the sight of seeing many of their allies suddenly falling dead to the unseen spirit arrows was a harsh blow to many a soldier's mind. Esdeath on the frontlines, battling like a war god or a devil from hell, kept moral up as she cut through many enemies. Budo helping the aerial forces with the power of Adramelech aiding him in flying about, but due to his inability to see the spirit arrows he had gained many injuries that would force most other men out of action.

The original cover that came from the Shikoutazer's artillery fire was ended as the monster with the many limbs attacked Makoto, releasing an inhuman shriek that seemed almost furious with either the Teigu or the one inside. A hundred different arms and fifty different faces, each one with something unique that attacked the massive mech Teigu and causing some harsh damage to the robot. Makoto was forced into a struggle, fighting against the strength of the nightmarish abomination as forty arms were locked with Shikoutazer's two. With a roar, Makoto forced the two of them to turn away from the battlefield and causing massive damage to the deserted city of the capital, but Makoto refused to harm his people. The center of the chest piece of Shikoutazer flashed as an energy beam struck the monster at point blank range, disintegrating much of its body. Believing he won, Makoto was about to throw the massive carcass aside when it started regenerating.

“MakoTo!” The thing roared as a recognizable face appeared, startling Makoto. “YOu mAdE mE ThIs! YoU RuiNeD EVERYTHING you useless puppet!” Honest's disgusting face became more dominate over the rest of the mismatched mass of flesh.

“My ultimate failing was not seeing you for the monster you were.” The emperor growled, coming to his senses. “But no one could possibly make that mistake now. For my parents, you disgusting freak.” Shikoutazer headbutted the monster, stunning it so Makoto could rip an arm free to punch Honest in the face again. “And I'll kill you as many times as I have to to free this world from your evil!”

(Gate Wall)

Most everything froze for certain people when they saw the monster was Honest, shocking many of the more 'in the know' members of the imperial forces, Najenda being one of them. She wanted nothing more than to help blast the disgusting freak back to oblivion but a sudden shot got her shoulder, forcing her to turn back to the battlefield as many Quincy were attempting to get up the wall. Her robotic eye scanned the enemy and identified over a dozen that were getting too close to their anti-siege weapons. She held out her new arm and it split apart until it resembled a beam rifle and she took aim, shooting each Quincy through the eye to avoid the possibility of the Blut Vene.

“Still a bit rusty,” she complained as she felt the drain on her being, “should've got them all faster.” A Quincy appeared before her, ready to shoot, before her arm shifted into a shotgun and blew a hole through the unfortunate archer. “Keep up the pressure! Fire!” The catapults and ballistae fired again into the army, striking some groups and most of the Danger Beasts while the archers and riflemen reloaded. Najenda continued to scan the battlefield, finding Esdeath cutting through the enemy and driving a wedge before she suddenly stopped with a robed figure walking toward her. Najenda fired a shot at the hooded Quincy, but he deflected it before looking directly at her and she was brought to her knees by an ear piercing screech.

(With Esdeath)

'What was that?' The general asked herself as she regained her focus after a sudden sound, overwhelming the clash of the battle around her, stopped and she was freed from the daze she found herself in and looking at a Quincy in a ragged coat and hood with his face hidden behind teal colored hair exposing only the left side of his face with a single golden eye. He held out a hand and a large double bladed scythe manifested in his hand, spinning it around with amazing dexterity to display his mastery in a single motion. “And you are?”

“Xaros Blackthorne, Sternritter N. Now die.” The short Quincy introduced before suddenly vanishing in a burst of speed, prompting Esdeath to immediately erect a massive wall of ice around herself. She then heard the sound of ice being cut, causing her to jump as a blade sliced through the ice with no effort. She found Xaros holding up black and gold arrow guns that looked like spiked diamonds with a bee pattern, aimed right at her.

“Weissschnabel!” Esdeath summoned thousands of icicles and shot them at Xaros. Instead of firing any arrows, there was a loud screech that pulsed from the Quincy and shattered all the ice. Esdeath barely managed to shield herself with another ice barrier that cracked the moment the pulse touched it along with an arrow barrage that was tearing it apart. “Conquer the frozen hells, Tsundora Akuma!” She summoned her Zanpakuto and immediately fired her Kottaiki at the Quincy, the cold energy freezing everything it touched. Xaros didn't even flinch as he easily dodged the attack, aiming his arrows at the general once again.

'Need to dodge!' She thought as she analyzed the hundreds of arrows, trying to think of a way to avoid getting shot by all the bolts. She didn't have enough Reishi control to stand in the air, nor was she proficient in Shunpo. Running out of time and options she used her Teigu to cover her wrists and ankles in ice to move her body in the air, somehow dodging most of the arrows. 'I'm surprised that actually worked. Let's see what else I can manage.' She thought as Xaros created another pulse, this one killing everyone around them in a twenty meter radius with blood pouring from their heads. Esdeath barely managed to shield herself with ice, giving her a chance to finally recognize what he was using. 'He's fighting with sound... Heavy Pressure used ultrasonic waves to break bones, but he makes that Teigu seem absolutely tame.' She couldn't help the savage grin as a white mist formed around Tsundora Akuma's blade. 'Wonderful. A proper challenge.'

(Elsewhere on the battlefield)

“Keep moving!” Akame called out, leading the special team of Teigu users and those with Soul Reaper powers. Their job was to find any and all Quincy that seemed like officers or stronger than the normal Soldat. Bulat, Daidara, and Leone started competing over who could score the most kills, pulling Wave into their game while the rest of the Shinigami focused on doing their jobs. Kurome and Wave stayed close together while Akame kept an eye out for the more dangerous targets. She looked over to Esdeath, seeing the general suddenly paralyzed with another Quincy with wavy blue hair appearing literally out of nowhere and taking aim at Esdeath. She may not like Esdeath but they were still comrades and she was compelled to aid her, dashing forward to cut the Quincy only for him to vanish. 'What the?'

“The assassin Akame, the chosen successor of Kurosaki as the leader of the Shinigami in this world.” She heard him say, causing her eyes to widen in shock. Only herself and Ichigo knew of that talk as they were in private. “Yes, I know many things young lady. I know what is precious to you, but this isn't the way.” Akame scanned her surroundings, trying to find the source of the voice. “The Shinigami are tyrants, they command the world from the afterlife and we Quincy seek to save this world from them.”

“Sounds like trading one tyrant for another,” Akame called out, “if Ichigo was that kind of person. He saved me and my sister from trying to kill each other and has kept his word on every promise he's made. That's more than enough reason for me to stay on his side.” She felt an attack coming from behind and dodged, the arrow cutting through her shirt and side and cutting across her ribs.

“A pity.” She saw him with another arrow ready to fire and covered the distance instantly before the Quincy disappeared again, with Akame almost cutting Sheele's head off. Another shot stabbed into her thigh, the man disappearing again before she could find him. “My name is Makiri Zolgen, the Hidden. Good-bye, Akame.” The assassin focused and summoned her Zanpakuto.

“Consign them, Chimei-Tekina Kisu.” Her blade gained its toxic mist as she readied both her Teigu and Zanpakuto, turning in time to deflect an arrow before he disappeared again. “Eliminate.” She promised as she pushed her senses to the limit.

(Makoto vs Honest)

Honest sprayed a mix of acid and fire from two mouths while another five limbs clawed, slashed, and stabbed at Shikoutazer's chest, trying to either destroy the core that allowed Makoto to shoot energy blasts or dig out the young emperor. The Teigu seemed to sense the danger to its master and generated a barrier that blocked the attack from Honest, soon shooting forward to slam against the monster's face. Honest was partially stunned by that but he didn't release his hold on the Teigu, refusing to let go of the kid he blamed for ruining his life. Makoto raised a foot of the mech and slammed it against the blob of Honest's form, with his shoulders firing another mortar barrage that exploded on and around the both of them.

“GRUAHH!” The monstrosity cried in the explosions and fire, losing the twenty of his arms as his grip weakened and Makoto was freed with his Shikoutazer cracked and burnt.

'Almost out of ammo and energy,' Makoto thought as he scanned his HUD within the sphere of the Teigu's cockpit. 'and Shikotazer can't take much more damage.' He looked at Honest again to see the abomination's form shift, getting smaller as it rearranged itself. Now the dozens of mouths sprang out like the heads of a hydra and Honest himself from the waist up. Seeing him more clearly, despite the emaciated and frail figure, reignited the fury and hate the young emperor had for the man that lied to him and poisoned his home. “RAAAAAHHH!” He roared as his willed forced the armor into going faster and hitting harder. “For your lies!” Makoto shouted as some heads shot forward to bite while others were ready to breath whatever and Shikoutazer swatted them aside. “For your greed!” The Teigu gripped the base of the monster, on either side of Honest as the former prime minister tried to pry off the Teigu and attack it at the same time. “For everyone that you murdered for your own benefit!” The core on Shikoutazer charged up once again. “I sentence you to DEATH!” He shouted as he blasted Honest and tore the blob of meat in two.

“Mother... Father... rest in peace.” Makoto whispered as the last of Shikoutazer's power slowly drained away. “Guess this is it then? Thank you for fighting so hard, Imperial Guardian.” He whispered as he lowered the Teigu to safely eject, stopping only when he saw Honest's frail form crawling away and having the Teigu's massive hand slam down on the man, trapping him between the Teigu and the ground. Makoto was slowly lowered from the mech and once he touched ground he felt disoriented from the drain the Teigu had on him, forcing him to use his scepter as a cane as he went around to find Honest.

“I... won't die.” Honest growled feebly as he tried to free himself. “I... will NEVER... die!” Makoto appeared before him, both glaring at each other; Honest with pure hate and Makoto with disdain. “You... damn... brat. All you had to do... was what I said. You were blissfully ignorant... and I lived the good life.”

“Living at the expense of others is hardly what I would call good.” Makoto returned, stabbing his scepter through Honest's eye before the man could respond. The traitor screamed in pain until the emperor pulled his scepter free and watched in disgust as Honest's body began healing.

“I... am... the Perpetual... I cannot... die!” Honest roared in defiance, but Makoto merely smiled.

“Perfect. I'd much prefer it if everyone could exact their revenge on you.” Honest's rage then fell away to horror. “I was planning on a long execution for you. Now it'll be endless.” And Makoto stabbed the man again. And again. And again.

(Esdeath Fight)

The battle persisted with Esdeath staying on the defensive, none of her ice abilities really posing any threat to the sound using Quincy and the ground getting coated in a thick cold fog with shards and powdered ice littering the battlefield. The general constantly had a shield of ice in front of her as she tried to land a strike on Xaros, but his high frequency attacks always reduced her ice to harmless bits and left her shield cracked. It was becoming more a battle of attrition that she was on the losing side of, using quite of bit of her energy to make thicker and denser ice. It was only her ice powers and years of experience that kept her alive as Xaros blitzed around the battlefield, landing minor scratches to shooting through her arms and legs with Esdeath coating herself in more ice to help her move.

'Just a little more.' She thought as she continued to fight. “Hagelsprung!” She created a giant boulder of ice, launching it at Xaros who shattered it with a concentrated beam of sound. The beam also hit Esdeath's shield breaking it and stunning the Esdeath with the high pitched ringing. Xaros appeared behind her and it was only by luck that Esdeath managed to coat her neck and left shoulder with ice before Xaros' blade came down and shattered her shoulder and collar bone, sending her flying to the ground with a heavy thud that broke a few ribs.

“You were supposed to be the strongest after that Soul Reaper.” Xaros said as he floated down in front of Esdeath, his bowgun appearing and aimed at her head with Esdeath holding her steely determination. “But I should have known better than to expect an equal match.” Xaros never noticed her Zanpakuto's continued glow as the mist grew thicker around them.

“Shunkan Toketsu.” Esdeath whispered, causing all the ice around them to concentrate on Xaro and freezing him in a block of ice. The air around them became unbearably dry and hot as a result of Esdeath using every last bit of ice and cold to flash freeze her opponent, the ultimate move of her Zanpakuto and Teigu. She slowly pushed herself up before hearing the ice crack, looking to find more and more cracks appear as Xaros tried to free himself. Esdeath took her blade and stabbed it into the ice, grazing his side and focusing all of strength on keeping Xaros frozen with the hope that he'd either freeze to death or suffocate. “Come on! Die already!” She growled as more cracks appear with each one she fixed until something pulled her back.

“MOVE!” Mira said, yanking Esdeath away from her opponent as Marik dropped from the sky like a meteorite, smashing the Quincy to powder and creating a massive deep crater with a shockwave that threw almost the entire battle off balance. Mira said nothing before returning to battle while Marik rose from the crater, resembling a weretiger with a bone tail.

“Can you still fight?” Marik asked as Esdeath examined herself, gritting her teeth in frustration when she found herself too drained to continue. “I'll get you back to the wall.” The arrancar said, picking the general up in her arms as Budo took command of the ground forces.

(Akame Fight)

The assassin was covered in numerous cuts and growing more and more frustrated with her opponent. Makiri's ability to completely vanish kept her from landing a killing blow and he had a habit of appearing next to her allies, making her have to hold back to avoid killing her comrades. The battle was fraying her nerves to the point that she generated a poison to boost her adrenaline, senses, and reflexes, basically drugging herself to give her an edge and Makiri was still evading her. The poison was pushing her body into overdrive and she didn't know how long she'd last.

'Just one clean cut, that's all I need.' She keeps telling herself as Makiri appeared and shot her again, Akame deflecting them and pouncing at her opponent before stopping herself from cutting Bulat's back. Her heart was pounding in her chest with rapid abandon and her blood was roaring in her ears, everything other than that and the sounds of Makiri's spirit arrows became muted as she focused again on where he might appear. Every time he attacked he was also dangerously close to one of her allies, trying to trick her into attacking one of her friends. She took a glance around her surroundings and found Sheele coming by out of the corner of her eye, with Makiri appearing. The world slowed down as she bolted toward the Hidden.

'Eliminate!' She poised her blade to impale the vanishing archer while he failed to stop his attack and vanish again, the only thing left for him to do was to shoot Akame. The battlefield that shook with such force that Akame tripped in her step and Makiri took that chance to vanish, feeling too close to Akame's lethal blade. Akame took that moment to find that Esdeath's fight was over and then notice that she was hitting her own limit. Unable to keep going with it, Akame deactivated her Shikai which negated the self inflicted drugging.. She was on her last legs, but she was determined to keep fighting.

“Dance on strings, Foru Chita Yakusoku!” She heard her sister call out followed by a shout of pain. Akame turned to find Makiri frozen with an arrow pointed at her, with Kurome's strings inside his body. “Do it Akame!” The younger sister cried out, apparently struggling with Makiri for control of his body. Akame forced herself up, reactivated her Chimei-Tekina Kisu, and stabbed Makiri in the chest with a poison that would quickly liquefy his insides, keeping the blade there as his body turned red from the internal hemorrhaging. The two sisters ripped their Zanpakuto free as his body fell to pieces, Akame slumping over from exhaustion only to be caught by her sister. “Don't worry Akame. This time, I've got you.” She promised as Wave and Daidara came by to help them.

(Ichigo vs Gilgamesh)

Hundreds of shattered weapons and craters littered the battlefield, the golden Quincy launching his many weapons at the lone Soul Reaper who either dodged or deflected the attacks. In Ichigo's hands were a physical copy of Katen Kyokotsu's scimitars that he found earlier. He could duplicate their form but the powers were another thing, Kyoka Suigetsu claiming that Ichigo's familiarity with the spirit would reflect his ability with that Shikai. For the time being the hybrid danced along the battlefield, looking for an opening to strike at the Quincy using the two blades without their 'games.'

“Is this really the best you can bring against me?!” Gilgamesh called out as more portals appeared, each one generating another blade. “I was expecting better when you claimed to have the perfect counter. My endless arsenal has no match.” He fired another thousand at Ichigo, whose arms became a blurred as he knocked aside every blade as they came at him.

'Endless is right.' The hybrid thought as he flashed away, dodging another and flying around chains that erupted from the ground. 'No matter how many I break it doesn't seem like he runs out. And he just shoots that at me with those portals. Does he even know how to wield... anything?' Ichigo puzzled as he continued flashing around the battleground, spying a familiar ax resting on it's tasseled head. 'Maybe I'll try the Zaraki approach. Just hope I can maintain this.' He reached his hand out and focused his Reishi, pushing out and shaping it into an extension of himself. He soon felt his hand wrap around the long hilt of the Nozarashi ax and a smile on his lips, looking to find a large version of his hand grasping the ax hilt.

“Interesting ability. Sometimes I forget you are also of Quincy blood... though that doesn't seem like a true Quincy ability. No matter,” Gilgamesh said before creating thousands of portals to completely surround Ichigo, “nothing changes.” He unleashed the latest and watched the explosions engulf the hybrid, frowning when he noticed blades of wind flying about as well. 'What the?' He thought before seeing a blade come at him. He summoned a shield to stop the attack, eyes going wide in shock as the blade cut through the defensive plate. The speed of the cut left the Quincy with little time to summon another shield so he twisted to dodge, earning a nick in his armor and skin.

“This is the blade of the one titled 'Kenpachi'.” Ichigo explained as the smoke blew away revealing only slight burns that quickly healed. “He once claimed that there was nothing that he couldn't cut.” Gilgamesh glared at the hybrid as he prepared for his next attack before starting to laugh.

“Truly, this shall be a battle worthy of kings and heroes!” Gilgamesh claimed before unleashing hundreds of thousands of his weapons at the hybrid. The Nozarashi copy burned with Ichigo's black Reishi as he donned his golden Hell armor, swinging the blade and unleashing a massive Getsuga Tensho that vaporized the Quincy's attack and slammed against a wall of shields. Gilgamesh moved himself out of the way and shifted the shields to deflect the attack away from him.

“Bankai.” The king's eyes widened as the field of blades disappeared and Ichigo appeared behind him. “Tensa Zangetsu.” Gilgamesh summoned a chain to wrap around his legs and pull himself away from the hybrid as Ichigo swung his blade and cut a chasm into the earth. Gilgamesh landed on the ground with Ichigo soon appearing across from him, like a hellish god of death with dozens of Zangetsu blades in the form of burning black wings and a halo, almost like he's waiting for the Quincy to act. Gilgamesh accepted that time as his golden armor left his chest and arms, revealing red lines up his sides and around his biceps. He held out his hand as a glowing crimson orb like a small sun appeared.

“Gate of Babylon.” The man chanted as wings of burning golden light erupted from his back while a... thing appeared in his hand from the orb. It had a golden hilt and guard but the blade itself was a three segmented black drill with red lines and a golden tip. “This is the strongest weapon in my treasury, the Sword of Rupture, Ea.” He pointed it at Ichigo. “Show me your full might, this will be the deciding clash.” Ichigo swung out his Tensa Zangetsu, gathering vast amounts of Reishi into the blade while Ea started spinning and generating power as well. “The power to tear the heavens and earth asunder,” Ichigo shot toward Gilgamesh, “Enuma Elish!” The golden Quincy fired a blast similar to a Cero in form but with more destructive power than anything Ichigo had ever seen. The blast consumed everything in its wake and Gilgamesh frowned, watching it all fly into a tear in space that led to the Precipice World. “It was a pleasure to fight you, Ichigo Kurosaki.” He said as his attack ended and Ichigo reappeared in front of him, cutting the would-be king into pieces. “How?” Gilgamesh asked as his life drained away, cut from the middle of his body and losing his arms.

“After you shot that Enuma Elish, I knew I couldn't take it head on.” Ichigo explained as he grabbed Ea and placed it on Gilgamesh's chest. “So I opened a Garganta and flashed to the side. People forget, that above all my strength and power, my speed has always been my greatest skill. With that, it's a matter of staying calm and using any one of the skills that my teachers taught me. Gilgamesh said nothing else as he closed his eyes for the last time, content with having found a worthy adversary. “Now to kill Yhwach and release your soul.”

“I can help you with that.” Ichigo froze and turned to see a shining figure.

(Final)

With the heavy hitters going down, the battle really fell to two Arrancar, the eight Soul Reapers, and all the remaining Teigu users with what artillery they managed to keep going. Against the hundreds of fully trained Quincy that remained, the battle hit a stalemate with the imperial forces slowly losing ground. That changed when reinforcements came from the north, west, and south before finally ending with Ichigo returning to the main battlefield. However Yhwach seemed to be aware that the battle was lost and used his Auswahlen to bring an end to the failed venture, seeing as the main point was to try and kill Ichigo from the beginning.

The armies of the other kingdoms were tempted to attack the Empire, now being more vulnerable than ever before, but swift action from Ichigo and Budo brought a swift end to those thoughts. The time of war was over, now was the time to rebuild.


	24. Soul Conviction

(Future of the Empire)

“Prioritize residential and buildings that are classified as necessary.” The young emperor commanded the architects, construction workers, and soldiers still able to act after the war. “Things like temples and my palace can wait. The wellbeing of the people come first.” It was two days after the battle and many were still in critical condition, but many copies of the glove Teigu Perfector in the hands of capable surgeons assured that most would make a recovery. All spiritually aware beings bathed in the healing springs and Esdeath was back in fighting shape after a few hours.

“Yes your highness!” The group answered as they went about completing their assigned tasks, leaving Makoto with the assembled kings, ministers, and generals.

“Now, shall we get to this?” The young emperor said with a smile. From there Makoto negotiated a pact with the other kingdoms, an alliance for the betterment of all people of the world instead of just one kingdom. It would allow all the realms to advance at their own pace but still share in the bounty of technology and culture, a requirement of the other kingdoms being their own great weapons like Meihou or Teigu. What enforced this idea of cooperation was the Lord of the Path of Peace assuring that the God of Death would deliver judgment on those that threaten the coming world peace. After watching an army die in pillars of light, they were willing to believe anything in order to avoid divine punishment. However, the other kingdoms had one more condition before this new alliance could be finalized.

(Fate of the Alchemist)

“Shit, shit, shit!” Dorothea cursed as she tried to gather all the notes of her research she could salvage while getting all the supplies she could. After Gilgamesh died, she was immediately signaled and she knew she had to get out. She didn't even reach the self destruct before Ichigo finally found the Quincy base within Mt. Fake and brought his Arrancar. “I need to get out of-” she immediately blacked out before she even knew what happened. 

Dorothea woke up days later chained to a post with Makoto smiling down at her, informing her that she was arrested for crimes against humanity the Empire and that she'd spend the rest of her life in a prison cell. She was first made to help with the recovery of the sick/injured of the Empire before finally being imprisoned at the Imperial Academy of Medicine, a new institute for furthering the healing arts, where she remains locked in the deepest levels. She still does her research but only in medicine and surgery in exchange for criminals to extend her lifespan. It was a choice between death and slavery and Dorothea proved too cowardly to face death.

(Honest Execution)

True to his claim, Honest was proving to be incapable of dying. Ichigo and Stylish experimented with many of Mayuri's drugs they had yet to test and tried to kill Honest in many different ways, even Esdeath helped before eventually getting tired of killing him again and again. With that confirmed, Honest was put on display by being strapped and nailed to a table with every adult in attendance being ordered to deliver the punishment of the people. With every citizen of the Empire and the armies of the other kingdoms in attendance, the public execution took over a week to come to an end. To the surprise of almost everyone, Honest never once made a sound no matter what they did.

They were never aware of the drugs that flowed in his veins increasing his perception to superhuman levels while he became so sensitive to pain that the air felt like fire. Honest's torture felt like thousands of years of endless agony before the public execution ended. Unfortunately for him, Makoto ordered that Honest be constantly executed until he somehow remained dead and the only food Honest could have was what came out of his own body. Honest's decadent life of feasting on all the most delicious meals had now fallen to eating and drinking his own flesh and blood to avoid starvation, and he never ran out of blood and meat.

(Beginning of Peace)

Soon after Honest's public execution, the assembled people began to celebrate the end of the war and the beginning of a new era of peace... for however long it was expected to last. Najenda got drunk very quickly and dragged Lubbock away, promising to make a man out of him. Ichigo was dragged away by Esdeath and Akame while Wave and Kurome took the big step to making out with each other. Leone was feeling left out of the more naked festivities and stole the Shambala Teigu, recovered from Mt. Fake, to visit Tatsumi to 'claim her mate' only to interrupt a rather competitive three-way Mine and Chelsea were having with Tatsumi and she just jumped right in. The Soukai teens were swept up in the festivities as well, with one making her way to their mentor.

“General Esdeath?” Hinowa started, gaining the general's attention. “You've done so much for me and my friends and I'd love to pay you back for it... but, I still have a goal. My dream to bring peace to my home-”

“Who said you can't do that?” Esdeath interrupted, surprising the young teen. “The Empire will be lending aid to Soukai, so whether as a soldier of Soukai or the Empire you could still aim for your dream. I don't want to replace your mother, just to ensure that my clan's legacy lives on. Besides, MY ARMY WOULD DO ANYTHING FOR THEIR LITTLE SISTER! RIGHT MEN!?” She yelled out to her soldiers as they danced and drank.

“YES! GENERAL ESDEATH!” They answered, ganging up on Hinowa with head pats and hugs. “If she says it, then you're as good as family kid!” A voice yelled out before releasing her.

“...Well, if that's the case. Then I accept the Partas name.” Hinowa Partas said, causing the army to cheer.

“TO OUR NEW FAMILY MEMBER!” Esdeath loudly called out as they partied even harder, pulling their new sister and her friends along. The high of the celebration was matched only by the low of the later news of Esdeath's arrest.

(End of the Empire's Strongest)

After the party ended, Esdeath secured a large territory in the Northern region of the Empire where he army built a new home for the general and any vassals she'd gain. While they built that, Esdeath wrote a book detailing everything she'd have to teach Hinowa about being a member of the Partas clan, along with detailed instructions for controlling her Teigu 'Demon's Extract'. After a month of this, she was arrested for her own plethora of war crimes committed while in the service of the Empire. That was the official reason, the real reason was that her life was demanded in exchange for the other kingdoms to fully join the new alliance.

However, this also worked for Esdeath as she, Budo, Najenda, Makoto, and Ichigo plotted her death. Esdeath made it clear that after the Quincy War, she'd fully devote herself to joining Ichigo in the Spirit World and everything about this arrest and execution was just to satisfy the other members of the alliance. Esdeath was found guilty, despite the protests of her army and new daughter, and sentenced to be executed by being drained of her blood. Esdeath's soul was ejected before the first needle ever touched her skin and she watched as her body turned into a husk of its former self. Before any fighting could break out over what to do with the Demon's Extract, Esdeath's will surfaced stating that her army and daughter would gain all of Esdeath's possessions with Hinowa specifically inheriting the Teigu.

(Departing)

“Stylish, am I missing anything?” The hybrid asked the AI as he continued to pack. The Capital was still undergoing repairs, but to the less essential buildings for cultural and aesthetic appeal. One of which being the Memorial representing all those that died in the Quincy war and Esdeath's statue, portraying her as the warrior and monster she was. Akame was left with a hundred Asuachi that Ichigo could spare as he appointed her as his replacement as leader of the Shinigami in this world.

“I believe you have everything and I sent backup copies of all the reports made back to Squad 12.” The virtual doctor answered as robot arms loaded his central CPU to the teleporter to send him back to Urahara's squad. “See you on the other side, stylish reaper.” The AI said before disappearing, with Ichigo breaking down his lab and heading out of the training grounds to the throne room where everyone agreed to gather for the last goodbyes. Along the way, Ichigo looked at the golden chains wrapped around his left forearm. The 'Heavenly Chains' a gift from the original Gilgamesh(Caster Gilgamesh, I'm feeling lazy) that appeared after the fight for Ichigo to use against Yhwach, but for only one time. The spirit of the ancient king then took the sword Ea and disappeared before Ichigo's eyes.

“Everyone said their goodbyes?” Ichigo asked his group of nine new allies. Esdeath spent the last few hours before her execution saying her goodbyes and to console her army and students, Hinowa in particular was upset at losing another mother so soon after accepting becoming her daughter. Bulat and Sheele spent a few hours getting some last laughs and tearful hugs with their friends from Night Raid. Leone managed to get Mine and Tatsumi back from Soukai in time to see their friends off while Chelsea remained in the Eastern continent to continue serving as ambassador. Daidara, Izou, Suzuka, Mez, Marik, and Mira had no further connection to the world so they didn't care.

“We'll miss you Ichigo.” Akame said, now wearing a white vest over her uniform to show her authority over the Soul Reapers in the world, before pulling Ichigo in for a kiss. “I hope we'll be reunited.” Ichigo smiled back to the girl.

“Maybe some day.” He said before facing away from the group and opening a Garganta. “Stay close and keep up. We've got a long journey ahead of us. Makoto, stay strong and protect the peace.” With that, Ichigo led his group into the endless abyss of the Precipice World on the long journey home and hoping his influence didn't have any really negative effects in the long run.

(Akame Ga Kill Epilogue)

After training for months with the Partas army, Hinowa Partas would take the plunge and drink the Demon's Extract. She was losing against the insanity caused by the blood but some lingering bit of Esdeath's own spirit that remained protected her daughter, permanently killing the other voices and granting Hinowa the powers of ice. During this time of training and recovery she grew close to emperor Makoto and gained his permission to bring her extended family to Wakoku to help end that war. Makoto agreed on the condition that when Hinowa is victorious she would return to become his bride, mainly to keep the Demon's Extract in the Empire's control but also because he grew fond of her. She agreed and with a fleet of ships and a few new Teigu with her fellow teens from Wakoku, Hinowa returned to her homeland in Soukai with an army.

The Soukai nation slowly went from being on the defensive to the offensive with the backing of the Empire, soon besting their enemies until they and Tenrou were the two main powers on Wakoku. To congratulate the teens, King Sotetsu offered most of them high ranking positions in his army with Hisame getting his wish in marrying the king's daughter, Princess Rinzu, while Hinowa gained monetary thanks due to being more a citizen of the Empire than of Soukai. She did, however, also achieved her own dream of making the name Hinowa known throughout Wakoku while reigniting the terror of the Ice Devil of Soukai, though Hinowa was far less brutal than Esdeath.

Sotetsu eventually became drunk on greed and arrogance believing himself invincible thanks to the backing of the Empire, leading Chelsea to assassinate him in a way to incriminate Waniba, who was planning to betray his people to Tenrou after losing the chance to marry Rinzu. Hisame would eventually take the throne and lead Soukai to victory and end the war in Wakoku. Hinowa would keep her word and return to the Grand Empire to become the wife of Makoto, who was leading a new golden age of the Empire.

Esdeath was eventually deified as a war goddess, showing the nobility of a warrior and the savagery of a monster that Death managed to tame and wed. Peace could only truly be maintained with strength and the soldiers followed the example of “no greater friend and no worst enemy” that Esdeath somehow embodied. Many suspected a massive bias but the Lord of the Path of Peace denied any of that, always exemplifying Esdeath's monstrous actions before the God of Death claimed her as his bride.

Najenda and Lubbock finally got married, so did Wave and Kurome, Tatsumi married Mine, Chelsea, and Leone after getting all three pregnant. Tatsumi was also adopted by General Budo to eventually become his successor. Bols finally retired from military service and his restaurant became one of the biggest and best in the empire, serving anyone that would come through his doors and often serving as a reunion site from the still surviving members of the Spirit Team as they were called. Run also retired and returned to teaching while also being appointed as the head of the Imperial Academy of Higher Learning, where students went to push the boundaries of impossible within ethical standards where the only thing that mattered was one's intellect.

The five kingdoms would eventually become the Grand Alliance and further spread until the entire world operated under a single united banner. There were still battles and conflicts with terrorists, but they were swiftly dealt with by Akame's Shinigami as they followed only two laws. Keep the happy peace, and always aid the lost souls. Akame knew she was breaking a vital rule of the Shinigami, but she would be damned before losing the peace so many sacrificed so much for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back to the main series.


End file.
